Overall, I have completed 123 KMs this month!!! Surpassing last year’s all time high of 105 KMs in a month! Who thinks I’ll be able to beat the 123 in February with less days? It’s not ideal with the half marathon plan I am following if I followed it to a T (that’s 102 KMs for February) but who know, maybe I’ll be ambitious! I’ll be starting with a big run tomorrow, hopefully no excuses with Janathon coming to an end!

Congratulations to everyone who was part of Janathon. I might not have had a chance to check out everyone’s blogs but you are a superstar, for your efforts and excuses! 🙂

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Guess who still doesn’t have internet?!
Earliest the technician can come is Tuesday…. Maybe I’ll luck out tomorrow and be able to upload my video.

Janathon day 30 included a very late run. Didn’t start until 9 pm (wanted to fully digest and needed extra time to get my lazy butt off the couch). Even with the late start I still felt like I was going to throw up. Only the first two KMs though, after the first bit of struggling, things got better, put on some motivational music/speeches and was on my way to steadier breathing, better posture, and the I love running now that the first ten minutes have past phase.

January 30, 2015: 7 km run

Just a small happy note, I discovered a colleague of mine ran her first half marathon last year. I shared with her my journey so far of signing up for my first half marathon coming this May. We chatted and shared our love for running and guess who else is running the half marathon this May? Yup, this lovely soul from work. She’s been really awesome since I started at this company and I am stoked we share a love for the same kind of high! Now we chat about running and I love it! Today, I am thankful for other runners, including you but especially her. I have no common ground with most of my coworkers but I found one! Or maybe she found me? Regardless, I cherish how much we, runners, can encourage, support, and drive each other to what makes us most happy. Thank you! Keep on running!

Happy Running!

rundmach

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This is turning into my favourite day of the week! Late night last night, slept in a bit but got up quickly to eat, get dressed and head out for my long run before I ran out of time! Busy busy bee! It was -10 Celsius feeling like -18 with winds over 20 kmh. No matter, I have to take advantage of Sunday’s because it’s the only time I get to run in daylight during winter months here in Canada. Also, I didn’t have time to contemplate what to do. Unfortunately, I did not dress accordingly for my legs. Well my thighs in particular. I have windbreaker tights but thought with my jacket and knee length socks I would be okay with regular tights. Well everything else was mostly okay but my thighs now have some crazy red marks on them. I’m sure it will go away. I’m keeping a log of all my clothes and what works best in what weather. Lesson learned.

I had a pretty good run. Challenging. Pushing myself at each interval to get a little faster. The only down side was missing my first turn which resulted in almost a full km blunder. When I was ready to turn I realized j was at the wrong street and had to turn back to the right intersection. No biggie. This just added an extra km to my cool down walk (much needed but not wanted in this cold). Overall, a minute slower than last week but still and overall much faster pace than I am used to. I’m attributing that one minute to the awful winds I had going uphill and extra minute I took fidgeting halfway through the run trying to cover my face properly when my cheeks started burning.

So happy to keep logging KMs to RunderfulRunners in the Earthathon Relay and check off Janathon Day 25.

January 25, 2015: 7 km run + 1 km cool down walk

Another busy day as I’m currently in the car on my way to another food filled fun afternoon/night.

Oh before I check out, it was also so cold, my water bottle that was under my jacket was turning into ice! Not sure if this picture does any justice (blogging and logging from a phone).

A few for the road relating to today:
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing! Luckily I wasn’t this guy:

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Pathetic. How could I follow up yesterday’s great run with the saddest work out of the month? I started my workout at 10 pm since I got sucked into the TV. At least I still did something active for Janathon that I otherwise would not have. I seriously need to set up cable where my treadmill is… What I really needed was to do a serious work out after the warm up run… I did not do this, I did a few measly exercises and called it a night.

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Today I got to do a Build Up run according to my Half-Marathon Plan. What is a Build Up? I start our at the lower set pace then gradually increase to a faster pace, maintain, and continue this until I reach the faster guideline pace. Well, I wasn’t going to share any of my time stats since I’ve finally come to the acceptance of who cares how fast or slow I run? (Other than myself of course). Just to put it in perspective, I’m a slow runner and my goal was to just finish. Based on my last race time and whatever other math MyAisics is converting, my estimated finish time for the half-marathon will be 2:42. That’s good news, My first goal is to finish, second is to finish under 3 hours, and well it’d be splendid if I managed under 2:30 but really, if I finish, I know that will be enough! Any-who, today’s guideline pace was to run a build up of 9:31 up to 8:06 min/km. Yes, that is ridiculously slow as some people walk 8’s…. Well, it’s not very slow when it’s on a treadmill but outside is another story! When I do these paces on the treadmill I’m exhausted and I’m actually running! Today’s outside run, I just started at a comfortable pace, gradually increased, maintained, and then increased again. I continued to do this for a few intervals (running 10 minutes on and 1 minute walk). To put it into perspective, my total average pace on my Nike+ Running account is 7’52″/km. The run today should have been within 8 minutes. I slaughtered that!! I averaged 7’16″/km!! I am soooo stoked on that! I know, it’s still slow relative to what women my age are supposed to be running, but really, it’s faster than I’ve been running lately and I didn’t feel completely beat! I was smiling on my run and having a blast! Other than some soaking toes while stomping through puddles, I had a wonderful run!!! See image attached for my intervals recorded from Nike+. You’ll see my second interval is slower, this is acceptable due to the uphill in the course. Can you believe it though? My last 3 intervals were below 7 minutes per km! Honestly, I really want to break a 34 minute 5k and I really hope this is the year! I know 7 isn’t going to cut it but it is getting me closer to that target!!!!

So, today’s Janathon was a huge success. Day 18 of my run streak continues. Contributed to my team #RunderfulRunners with 7 kms logged in the Earthathon Relay.

January 18, 2015: 7 km run

I am really going to have to figure out how to run in the dark again and feel safe… I love winter but I don’t like how dark it gets before I even get home from work (and it’s dark early in the morning too). I really do love outdoor running compared to the dreadmill. I have been so happy all day. I smiled most of my run, was comfortably challenged, and just felt even better when I saw the stats! A good run can seriously change how you feel and although I’m still a little angry, not very much so today. Happy and accepting, life is still good. I hope you had a great weekend of running yourself!

I’ve ran out of funny running comics so here’s a good grammar one for the road:Sneak Peek vs Sneak Peak

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Janathon Day 11 had been a huge success!!! I was recruited and signed up for the #earthathon relay to be part of #runderfulrunners !! Our team is currently in 4th place out of 10! The goal is to get to 25,000 miles first as a team. I’m super excited to be part of this and if you have Twitter, join our team!! Or follow me @rundmach! Today I went out and logged my first run for the relay, crossed off my run for my half marathon plan, and can check off Day 11 completed for Janathon.

January 11, 2015: 7km Run

Since it’s Sunday, I got to run outside in daylight (also because the extreme cold weather is now gone). Runrchatts is also training so we started our run together and he took off, check out his blog and show him some love! Wowie!! What a fantastic run I had! Long slow run at 10 minutes on and 1 minute walking, I finished in a great time according to what my plan wanted me to do on a treadmill. Thank goodness I did not have to do the run on a treadmill today because the sun was shining and paths were relatively safe to run on. I really enjoyed the run, despite forgetting to take my inhaler before the run and gasping for air at the beginning. I absolutely love running outdoors (yes, even in the winter). The dreadmill gets the job done and I just watch a movie or listen to music. The outdoors is an experience and I am left to the beauty of the world, my thoughts, and soaking in the run. Guess I might be having a little bit of the runner’s high right now.

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It’s Saturday! I’m excited for the weekend but if you’re like me, the weekend means cheat days because it’s all about family and friends. Two-three days packed of late nights, early mornings (because my body only wants to sleep in when it’s a work day) and bad food. So, I have to get my Janathon day 10 activities in early otherwise I might not do anything!

January 10, 2015: 1 km run, 20 minutes Yoga, and some arm exercises

I may have jinxed myself yesterday because after blogging my right leg started feeling really uncomfortable. It’s kind of in my hip or in my joints, I can’t really explain the pain. All I know is it hurt any time I moved my leg in bed or even in certain positions. This is why I decided to do yoga today as I’m still in a bit of discomfort. I tried the Recovery Yoga for Runners from Runners World. Boy, I am not a fan of Yoga. Whenever she had her leg straight up I felt like I had mine the same way, then I looked in the mirror and I was lucky if I was even at a 90 degree angle… Same with getting your head to the floor, my forehead was probably still two feet from the ground. I tried my best and didn’t do any of my other leg exercises like lunges or squats today. Well, I hope it helped! After yoga I did 5 intervals of 30 seconds with 10 second rests of arm exercises using 10 lb weights: rows (left arm, then right), bench press, shoulder press, and something I call butterflies but have no idea what they really are….

Oh why yes it was a good night for Janathon Day 9. Well as good as it can get. I did my run close to plan… I completed the 5k but had to speed up the run. The extra slow jogging pace was getting way too slow for me and I really didn’t want to be on the treadmill for the last km for twice the time I could actually finish it. So, I’m exhausted now but I emptied the tank at the end of the run so I could max myself out and get the distance covered. Whew. Feels good to finish the run.

January 9, 2015: 5 km run (3.15 miles on the treadmill)

Sometimes you just have to run a little faster to feel great! I know, don’t overdue it, follow the plan, don’t risk an injury. I may have run faster than I normally do but I did it to my capabilities.

Happy Running!

rundmach

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Janathon Day 8 completed. I’m keeping the run streak going, woohoo! Today I ended my workout with an 8 minute run on the treadmill, a little over 1 km. I started the with a Nike+ Training Club workout for 15 minutes then moved onto my own little work out. I set a timer to go every 30 seconds. I did 30 on and 30 off for 8 minutes to do as many as I can of different exercises (safely and with correct form – the best I can). These exercises went as follows: Squats, Shoulder Press with weights, Wood Chop Squats, Bench Press with heavier weights, Squat Jumps, Crunches, Squats, and ended with a plank hold. I don’t know if you’d consider this a circuit, interval, strength, cross training, or whatever type of workout or training. It’s something and there’s so many new terms out there, I can’t keep up with cross fit, tabata, HIIT, etc…. It’s exercise! 🙂

I’m working a little backwards and going to blog about yesterday since I forgot to mention a few things and I’m blank for tonight since it’s 10:30 PM and I’m sleepy… Any-who, yesterday marked a very proud day for myself. Our department had a welcome back for one of my colleagues who was on mat-leave. This included 10 AM gourmet cupcakes, which I can never resist! In this room filled with people, I stared down those cupcakes, watched everyone eat them and just said no… I was then called out why I was the only one not eating one – I said I was on a diet…. WHY DID I SAY THIS? I’ve been killing myself over it, I was ridiculed and embarrassed and then worst of all, I started to feel like I was being rude for not having a cupcake….. how could I be rude?! Why couldn’t I have just lied and said I was full since it was so early in the morning? I guess I don’t think about lying in the moment since it’s not me to lie, I just speak the truth and that made me feel awful… But the rest of the day I just kept telling myself, “It’s okay, be proud, you said No to a cupcake you didn’t NEED”. I’ve had these cupcakes before and they are phenomenal! I do like eating them and honestly, at that moment, I wanted it because it looked so good but I really didn’t need it or crave it. I wanted it because it was there, not because I sat at my desk dreaming about it all day… Well, that was my win and despite feeling like it was a loss because I’m still trying to find my place at work, I stood my ground and smiled.

Everyone thinks that every woman’s dream is to find the perfect man. Actually, it’s every woman’s dream to eat anything they want without getting fat.

One more point to add to yesterday after I had blogged… I enjoyed a no sugar, low-calorie vanilla pudding after my run as I blogged. Yes, I’m buying in and trying all these different snack to help feed my sweet tooth without having the sugars. I guess after a 7 km run, you should probably have something more nutritious because after blogging I spent a bit of time throwing up that pudding and what I had for dinner hours earlier… So, word of advice, have something that’s better for your body after a run! Even if it is late at night and you don’t want to consume the food, you might just need to refuel yourself properly!

Happy Eating!

rundmach

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Janathon Day 7 puts me at a 1 week runstreak! Woohoo!…. I’m exhausted… I don’t care how slow I had to go today according to plan, I’m just happy I didn’t slack on Day 2 of the Half-Marathon pre-conditioning training. So, I’ve jogged and logged. Not sure what to say in this blog, I’m tired and hangry as always (don’t worry, not starving myself – just want to munch on chippies and candies).

January 7, 2015: 7 km run and Squats

Tomorrow is a rest day on the running plan, should I rest and do some strength training or still get a short km in to keep the runstreak going?

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I’ve officially completed my weigh in for the DietBet and have been verified by the auditors. Starting Monday, I will have 4 weeks to lose 4% of my body weight. This will be tough. Regardless of all the running I enjoy doing, the last time I was 4% less my current body weight was last June. This was when I actually worked out (strength training) and watched what I ate. This is doable since it was during Junathon that I hit this weight so hopefully this year’s Janathon challenge will get me there with some extra dollars at the end too!

Well, I didn’t have much of a plan today for my run, just make sure I get out there for Janathon because if it wasn’t for this jog, log, and blog daily, I would have had my butt firmly planted on the couch the entire day. Today was a beautiful snowy day. I got out just in time for a little bit of the fluffy white stuff to hit the ground….and then pow, ice…. then rain. After about the first 10 minutes, I think I had enough. I was already running nice and slow, shorter steps due to all the sticky snow building up but the rain was starting to soak through my pants and I wore a heavier jacket so my legs were cold but my upper body was over heating. With all this discomfort, I could also barely see. The rain was just hindering my view – especially when I couldn’t see all the cars clearly… I decided to take the first turn and make it a shorter run – so long as I hit 2 kms. By doing this, I made my run an uphill and then against the wind run. No real downhill or with the wind benefits today. Maybe at some point before the day is over, I will add in some more workouts, but for now I am counting this my success for the day.

January 3, 2015: 2.19 km run, squats, crunches, and push ups

I thought I would share this picture of after my run today to give you a bit of perspective of what I could see, compared to what the non-optically challenged runner sees. Quite a difference! While I was running I thought what another person would think if they saw the world through my eyes, from the basics of what colours look like to me and if they look the same to others down to the beliefs and morals I have based on what I see in this world. Then I just thought about that saying “You’re twice as hardcore when you run in the rain”… Does that make me a quadruple threat today? It snowed, hailed, then rained on me while I completed a short 2 kms. That’s a lot of weather.

I hope you had an inspiring run today that left you happy and discovered something new/rediscovered yourself.

Happy Birthday to Janathon who’s turning 5 this year!!! This is Janathon 2.0 for me! I’m excited to partake in the Annual Festival of Activities & Excuses for my second year. If you’re new to my blog, the point is to Jog, Log and Blog every day for the month of January. Or do any form of exercise or physical activity that will get you in a healthier state. It’s free and it’s fun! No prizes for me since I’m in Canada but for most participants who are in the UK – there’s a lunch, weekly group runs, prizes, etc. Although I’m so far away, I love being part of this in the virtual world. I love following other bloggers, getting inspired, and sharing my success….or excuses…. Let the games begin!

I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself for this success today. Runrchatts helped me run outside and although it wasn’t too cold -5°C feels like -13°C, the wind was at 35km/h with gusts going up to 56 km/h were pretty scary. I’m certain the wind may have been worse, especially having to run into it a couple of times! My goal for this Janathon is to run at least 2 kms a day for round 2 (in 2014 I aimed to run at least 1 km a day even when I was sick!). My next level goal is to run a total of 102 kms in January to surpass last January’s 101 total. So, if you do the math, I actually should be running 3.3 kms daily. This means I’ll just have to have some big runs to average out those smaller 2 km days when I just can’t muster up the willpower to run more. I’ll be adding in some other exercises throughout the day to complete as well and list them here.

I don’t know if you even notice 2014 go by! It’s been a blimey great year despite all of the sad in the world. I can blog about my successes and failures in 2014 or my big plans for 2015, but instead I’d like to introduce you to the DietBet challenge. Join today! I discovered the DietBet after reading a fellow blogger’s post (sorry, I don’t remember who’s it was???). Any who, the DietBet is a challenge where you bet on yourself, literally. I have put in $35 (USD) for a January 5 to February 1 challenge to lose 4% of my body weight in 4 weeks. There’s a bunch of other rules that make sure there’s no cheating (don’t worry, your pictures are private and safe between you and the auditors). This is my first DietBet and I’m excited to put my money where my mouth is at! If I succeed I will get a portion of the pot (split amongst all winners). I’m pretty certain if I changed my poor eating habits, that 4% will be shed pretty quickly! I just love to eat toooooo much and I love to eat EVERYTHING! Fruit, Chips, Candy, Bread, Cheese, Potatoes, you name it, I like to eat and it’s a problem. So, here’s to a new year, new Janathon, and a new challenge with the DietBet.

Happy whatever it is you celebrate! In the busy lives we live, it’s definitely a good reminder to take some time to show the people you love how much they mean to you. For me this is Christmas. Merry Christmas to all the fellow bloggers and runners across the world. I hope Santa was good to you and you are feeling loved.

It’s been a very crazy 6 months since I’ve last posted and I am now making sure that I am coming back for Janathon 2015. I have officially signed up so you can find me here starting January 1, 2015 logging all my daily activities (which will mostly incorporate running, strength training, cycling, and various types of exercises that I don’t normally partake in). I am very excited for this year’s Janathon as it will help get me off the right start as it did this last year. This will be my second Janathon and I hope to win smugness and immense self-satisfaction.

It’s not that I haven’t wanted to blog but in the last 6 months a few other things have been taking priority. I broke up with the one thing that’s been in my life longer than anything else, I quit my job where I worked for over 10 years. It’s not really work when you love the industry, people, place, and have the passion for what you do. My love did not change for what I do but the environment changed, it became a very emotionally stressful company to work for over quite a few months after a take over and it was time to leave and make sure my life was filled with positivity. Work-Life Balance is so important and if you can’t step away from your work when you leave the workplace, you better love what you do. I am one of those individuals who believe the things you do define you and I started doing things that I would never be proud to say I was part of. In this last little while, I discovered a new job and it’s still fairly new so I’m getting my feet wet and seeing what will come next. The greatest things are the people here. It is not necessarily an industry I would have chosen or even imagined I’d be in but the people are so welcoming and friendly, it has made the transition a little easier. The only negative so far, I do much much much less moving and spend almost a full 8 hours sitting. The last 6 months did include a two little vacations that reminded me what life is really about, spending time with the ones you love and enjoying every moment. Of course I can go on and on about what a blast I’ve had on vacation or what a miserable time I had making the decision to leave what has been such a huge part of me, but I’ll get into the running!

I did not succeed in all of my goals for 2014 but I am not disappointed. I ran alone, with friends, with the love of my life, and in a couple of races. I raised some money, maybe not enough as I had hoped and did not make time to volunteer but I will try harder this new year. I did do strength training and understood more of my abilities. I did not lose any weight at all but I have always known, that I run so I can eat whatever I want but also because running is the most free I have ever felt. I have learned and am accepting that running may not be the factor to losing weight (diet smiet)…. Running is me time and it is my happiness. It may sound corny to some people but I think all runners can attest that Running is the ultimate nirvana.

Recently, I ran with runrchatts without music! I went bare, no headphones, no phone with me, just the company of someone I enjoy running with and we chatted and ran and I had a blast! I’m sure I’ll still need the music for longer runs but this 5k we completed with each other was phenomenal. I listened to everything around me and soaked it all in. This is an accomplishment to me because it was a chance for me to enjoy the company of another runner and embrace the beauty of the world around.

In these last 6 months, I’ve also felt pretty accomplished as I feel like I have been officially inaugurated into the running world. I have been running for quite some time now but the whole idea of black toes and losing toenails made absolutely no sense to me. My toes had always been your average toes until recently…. I received 1 super black toe and 2 other smaller toes said goodbye to their protective upper casing. This seems very weird, but I’ve never been more proud to lose toe nails.

I think to catch you up on the last 6 months would just be ridiculous to do in one blog post as this is already getting lengthy so I’ve tried to capture some of the highlights the best I can…except for one…….

This Christmas, I signed myself up for a half marathon! On Sunday, May 3, 2015 I will be running the Mississauga Half Marathon. Merry Christmas to me!!! I’ve been toying with the idea and have blogged about it before. It’s time to hold myself accountable and put my feet where my words are. My goal is to just finish. I’m not sure if I’ll ever do another half at this point but it’s definitely a bucket list item! Funny enough, when I started blogging, my biggest goal was 10k and wasn’t even sure if I’d enjoy the 10k. It seems that I am growing and the 10k may not be enough. A Half seems almost too much but I am nervously excited!! I’ve signed up, paid, and can’t turn back now!

I know I don’t have to keep preaching on here as to why running is so great. I might just be doing this because I still need motivation to get me off my butt. It seems in my head I know how good running is for me and in my heart how much I love to run, but there’s this thing (maybe it’s the Blerch) that just makes me succumb to laziness. So, here I am, signing up for Janathon to kick off the new year like many others promising to stay on track. Regardless of how busy life is going to get, for 31 days, I will be active and will blog daily.

Over the course of Janathon I will be sharing some fun comings from The Oatmeal. I hope he doesn’t mind but I’m in love with the comics as I just got the book, The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distance.

I hope that you have been doing well as I have not had the time to stay up to date on blogs or anything online…. I am wishing you a successful New Year and hope that you’ll join in on these 31 days of discovery and growth.

So for whatever reason you may be running for, I hope you continue to run and enjoy it!

Well, I couldn’t be happier or more disappointed that June is coming to an end. I’m torn because well I didn’t do so well this month for jogging/daily exercising, logging, and blogging every day.

June 27-29th is all about excuses. Friday night, came home from work and went right out – it was date night! I thought about postponing to later in the evening and getting my workout in but really, I didn’t want to keep my handsome date waiting so I got myself ready and headed out. I had a blast so I’m okay. Saturday, I went to visit my mom and although that didn’t take the entire day, I just made excuses to not run. By the way, it’s been smoldering hot here (even tonight, at 8 pm it is 30°C with humidity sitting at almost 40°C). Sunday came by, I had high hopes. I stepped outside, the hotness hit me, and I had just an absolutely lazy but relaxing day with my sweetheart.

Success comes today, Monday, June 30th! It’s the last day of Juneathon so I just had to force myself to get in some kilometers so I wouldn’t be such a failure. For the final day, I sweat a ton again for 3 kms. That sounds so short now after I read your blogs and how much you guys & gals are running! Oh well. It’s still a lot for me. Although I’d like to consider myself a newbie but I’d say two years of running now, a handful of races, I’m classified as a runner – maybe not a long distance or a fast pace runner, but a runner nonetheless. Thank goodness I have some determination to push myself to complete Juneathon strong!

There you have it. As the final day for Juneathon, I’m going to feature Excuses!
When is it okay to make an excuse to NOT run or not workout? It’s not really an excuse when it’s legit. But…sometimes it’s necessary.

rundmach’s Top 5 Annual Festival of Excuses
1. Sick – If you’re sick, you should probably rest, your body is already working extra hard to fight off whatever infection your body is being attacked by (vomiting, migraines, fevers, bad coughs, etc.). Or maybe you’re a parent and you have a little one who needs you. Don’t beat yourself up because you need to be by their side, they’ll love you unconditionally – you’re showing them they mean more to you than yourself.2. Injury – This should probably be 1 but I think 1 may happen more often. If you’re hurt, don’t push it!! It’s been to take a day or a week off over having to take a lifetime off if you cause more damage. Even if you think it’s minor, you should probably RICE (rest, ice, compress, and elevate).3. Special Events – In this case, weddings, birthdays, or celebrations of any sort. Sometimes these events just take up an entire day and there’s nothing you can do. It’s okay to use these as an excuse occasionally. Of course we should try our best to make time for ourselves which mean running or working out (you shouldn’t always dread it, you should want it).4. Travel/Vacation – I don’t always endorse this one but I think it’s acceptable for others. If you’re on vacation, you’re probably already being more active than sitting at a desk. I prefer to be active on a vacation and be able to run and explore the new areas or go hiking BUT I think it is absolutely your right to take time to enjoy who you’re vacationing with (or even yourself) and spend time engulfing the trip you’re on (the culture, the food, the environment, the sights and sounds, etc.).5. Just Because – Sometimes, we all need that one day off. It’s okay to give yourself some slack. Maybe not as much as I have this month but that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up because you want a day off to rest or do something else (go for a walk, watch a movie, spend some quality you time, etc.).

Well, I guess it looks like you can find any reason to make up an excuse to not run or workout but that’s all up to you.

Juneathon, it’s been a blast. Thank you all for your support and inspiration with all that you have done bloggers & athletes.
I have done various other exercises (cycling, circuits/cross training) but this is all about running. Not my strongest month at all for distance covered but a successful 54 kms to wrap up the month… Janathon I completed 101 kms… I missed 9 days compared to 0. A 70% success rate versus 100%… I thought you’re supposed to get better over time? Guess I really need to step up next year for Juneathon! How did you do this month? How do you compare to Janathon?

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I will start with saying I am at awe after being on this blog for over two years and you, are still as wonderful as ever. I am still sick but you help me kick it off. You, your support, and undying openness to accept my flaws and downfalls has and continue to make me stronger. Thank you for all of the comments and strength while I have been recovering from some silly sickness.

Today, I cough a lot again. At work, at the grocery store, in bed, in the shower, everywhere. NTC and Juneathon say run so I ran. 5 KMs later, and a bucket load of sweat, here I sit, proud to blog and share with you my success. I had a few coughing fits but nothing I didn’t outrun. I feel like I have never sweat soooo much during a run. I’m sure I have and it’s the recent lack of exercise making it seem like it was pouring down my face. Anyways, I’m happy to cross off a happy face on my workout calendar today.

Today’s special workout feature is sparkle or shine or glow. What I mean by this is, take a moment and enjoy yourself. Take some time to reflect in every workout and all the sweat you’ve burned. Bask in your success and hard work. Enjoy how far you have come and let it soak in. I want this feature to be about you. Your training, your wins, your finish lines, and every extra minute you have added to your life with the good choices you have made.

With this I again step out of my shell for this blog, for you, and share a little photo of me right after my run. I will not continue to beat myself up for being sick and not being able to work as hard. It is part of life. I will continue to push myself and not let myself slip and get into a funk that will be hard to get out of.

This is how you sparkle:
I run for the sweat. It releases endorphins that help me forget anything troublesome. I take pride in the sweat dripping down my face and beading off my body. I’ve worked hard for these sparkles and this, makes my heart ever so happy.

I hope you can spend just a few moments to be proud of yourself, you deserve it!

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I want to blog so much but my arms and hands are tired from my first session at the driving range tonight. Woohoo! I finally made it out; better late than never. In addition to spending time at the driving range (yes, I count this as an activity, trust me, if your muscles get sore the next day, it counts), I completed a lovely 5k run today! Juneathon is turning out to be a better success than Janathon! I swear, I’m in permanent exhaustion but I have the next two days off so I get to sleep and do house work to keep me busy. Today’s run for Day 11 of Juneathon was fantastic. I gave myself the easy way out and ran a relatively flat route instead of my usual tougher route. Success! I have now completed what I think is my fastest 5k!!!!!!! I completed it in 33:54 (mm:ss)!!!!! I only say think because my stats are all messed up from when I first started running. My iPod was telling me I was running 5k but really I was not even close. Anyways, after digging a bit, this is my fastest 5k time since last May. Yay!!!! Celebration time!!! I honestly don’t know how I slowed down so much. Probably just laziness. Feels good to be a little faster again and confident!

Today’s exercise…. Is…. Actually a stretch. I’m pretty stiff and sore now already after the driving range so stretching will be sooo good. I know I did a specific runners stretch feature, but this one is a good stretch all around. I also like doing this regardless if I’ve just finished a workout or not; the Pretzel (elbow-to-knee) stretch. It’s primarily best for your obliques but is also good for your lower back and glutes! So, if you work at a desk all day and have to sit, this is a nice little lower back stretch.

Here’s how to Pretzel (elbow-to-knee) Stretch:
1. Sit up straight with your legs straight and flat in front of you
2. Cross one leg over the other, placing your foot over and flat on the ground next to the knee
3. With your opposite arm of the bent leg, cross your arm over the outside of the bent knee, twist back from your hips and breath, count to 20 (or 10 or 30, it’s your stretch, do what feels good)
4. Repeat for the opposite side

That’s it folks. I’m all beat up. Wishing I was a way better golfer but I’ll just have to keep practicing. At least I’m getting better at this whole running thing! 🙂

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It felt just like yesterday I welcomed the weekend in and now we’re already parting ways again. What a shame; I could use some more recovery time. Juneathon Day 8 activities were simple, an early but fast 5 k. My NTC program called for a fast 3 mile run so I have to round up and do the full 5k because I live in a metric world. I had a fantastic run for being extremely tired and having super sore legs from 2 days ago! It was a bit my fault, I stayed up to watch the Cotto vs Martinez fight and boy was it great! I’m beginning to find a new love for Boxing… I’ve learned how to wrap my hands and proper jabs…. But, back to my run… this was a “fast” run, not one of the “steady” runs. How was I ever going to pull this off? I figured, just run, who cares if it ends up being fast or steady, I just need to cover the distance. I knew I was slowing down in kilometer 2 and 3 because of all the hills on the path I take, so I told myself to just keep calm and run on. Keep pushing. Keep going. After reaching 3 KMs, I looked at my watch and realized, hey, I’m not doing so bad, a little better than my average, let’s step it up and make this a fast 5 k! In the end, I finished one of my fastest 5 k runs in quite some time! I know I normally don’t want to bore you with the stats since I’m considered a “slow” runner but I am super proud of myself so I’d like to share I ran a 7’07” pace (my average being tracked right now shows 7’42″/km) and I completed the 5 k in 35:40 (mm:ss)!!! This is super exciting because I have been running most of my 5k races in the last year around the 37 minute range. Last Sunday I thought I had a fantastic 5 K (which I still believe I did at the time) and that was 36:46! I’ve shaved off an entire minute in a week!!! Is this possible??? This honestly, has to be the work of all the cross-training/weight training/NTC exercises and workouts I have been completing throughout the week. I am just so happy that I am so close to breaking that 35 minute mark again. I think it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve been able to run a 5k under 35 but I can feel it coming!!!!

Okay, so what you’re really here for is probably a tip or an exercise that will help with being a better, happier, and healthier you. This is of course one of my go-to’s and favourite weight exercises, the flat Bench Press with Dumbbells. This exercise is great for your biceps and triceps, as well as pecs and front shoulders (anterior deltoid) if you’re trying to work those out.

Here’s how to Bench Press with Dumbbells:1. Start with your back laid down on a bench with weights in your hands (I am currently using 10 lbs)
2. Keep your elbows bent a little past 90° and dumbbells horizontal to your body aligned with your chest
3. Push your arms straight up so the dumbbells meet in front of you
4. Pull your arms back down and repeat (I do reps of 10 for 2 times each night after a workout)

There’s a few different variations to this with how you rest your feet or how you’re angled. Do a little research of your own and testing to figure out what works best for you. Don’t hurt yourself though!

Now I know why today was intended to be a rest day based on the NTC plan I’ve been doing. My legs are sore in every possible area. Well, regardless, it’s Juneathon so I pulled my butt outside this morning and ran a few laps around a track for 30 minutes, a little under 4 KMs. I didn’t say it was going to be a fast run! Haha.

I will have to use this blog to rant a little bit and maybe get some insight on this situation… A fellow runner was who got me out because he was doing speed work at a track and offered to pick me up. So, it was early and hot but off we went… Drove to one high school, the track was gated and locked! What’s up with that? Let me in! I was there a few nights ago… Ok fine… We decided not to hop the fence and drive to another high school; locked out too!!? Okay, this one was a catholic school so I understand, maybe the funds are different. But the first track was a public school that is also part of a public library…. I don’t understand??? I’ve never seen this before. Our third school worked out, no gates up, but it was super beat up: pot holes in the track and the lines were barely visible, but I’m just happy I got on a track because I wouldn’t have ran as much if I had been outside running a set route. Sometimes running aimlessly with a time goal instead of a distance does really help!

All I did was run and walk today. I’ve skipped the weights; I’m lazy and tired. Today I’d like to share some stretching tips good for runners. These exercises do feel great! I don’t stick to all of them but I am going to start to try!

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Today’s Juneathon activities included various workouts as part of the Sweat + Shape workout on NTC. I ended the working with added weights (rows and butterflies). I’m on a mission to get stronger and will not stop until I tone up my arms and can do a pull up.

Although this is my blog, my Juneathon activities are not yet over. I’m hoping to go for a short trot to losses up and get ready for a 5 mile run tomorrow (as per NTC plan). Plus I just feel I need more activity today; sitting at a desk all day can be pretty exhausting.

In today’s workout, there were two one-minute sessions of hip lifts. Another exercise I like doing. It’s only a matter of time before I have to start posting dreaded exercises but until then, let’s keep focussing on the ones I enjoy. Hip lifts help define and strengthen your ups but also your gluten (sexy butt)!!!

How to do Hip Lifts:
Do these as many times as you can for a minute, or do reps of 10.

Happy Hip Lifting!

rundmach
P.S. Just for back from a 3km run with an extremely fast pace. So much for a trot. Haha. I went to a school track to run, I think that’s the key, I ran about 30 seconds faster than my average pace outside. Craziness! I’m so excited for the 8k run tomorrow!!! Time to step it up!!! Woo!!!

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Today’s NTC program calls for a rest day, so what does that mean when it’s Juneathon? A run!!! A nice 4 k run for half an hour of exercise plus some squats, sit ups, weights (rows, bicep curls, & shoulder press), wood chops, and some very short planks. After a long and mentally stressful day at work, nothing beats a run with myself. I am so in love with running…. After I pass the first 7 minutes, haha.

One of my favourite weight exercises to do now are shoulder presses. These make me feel like a hero! It doesn’t matter if I am doing them with 3 lb or 10 lb weights.
Here’s how to Shoulder Press:
1. Stand feet hip-width apart and arms holding weights (or start with no weights)
2. Bring both arms up to shoulders with elbows bent
3. Raise your arms up above your head and lower down half way to bent position again
4. Repeat for reps of 10 or do as many as you can for a minute

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It seems so odd to be blogging now after a little break (since January, I blogged every day!).

Today, I got to run a Valentine’s 5K Run with runrchatts and for the spirit of this “holiday”, we were tied together! Luckily, there was some slack because I fell behind a couple of times (and he was already running pretty slow for his pace). He’s got another 21 kms to run today to complete his 26 km training run towards a 30k race in March!! You’re doing amazing, keep it up!!

February 9 Run: 37:05 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’23″/km (GPS Watch)

The great news is that this is my fastest 5k in quite some time! I’ve slowed down a lot since this time last year. According to my watch we finished 5k in 36 minutes 56 seconds. We’ll see what happens when the race stats are loaded; yes this fun run where you’re tied together, you are given a chip and timed as a team!

I just wanted to let you all know, that I am doing okay. I am still pretty broken and have my moments. The visitation and funeral were very tough (but when is it not?). I’m still finding my struggles with my family and learning how to stay strong. I have a wonderful second family of friends and bosses, my bosses are the best in the world. People work for people and I definitely stay where I am because of my two bosses. They have been more than understanding and supportive. My friends, (yes, this includes you!), have read/listened to my thoughts and hurt, you have been there for me and provided support and extremely touching words/gestures. I would like to clarify, I do find many of you, other bloggers, to be my friend. I may not have met you but you know more about me than a lot of my family does and I know more about you than I could say about some members in my family too. You are here for me and you understand, you do not judge and you care. Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart, life is too short, cherish every moment.

It seems that “enough” time has passed and I should be able to move on from grieving. That’s what seems logical. BUT I’m not ready to move on yet. I’m not ready to say good-bye and I’m still so broken up with all the thoughts of my Uncle and all of the last memories I have with him and of his funeral. Everyone is different and I guess I am just one of those people who need more time to mourn.

The heads up is that I may still have some pretty bummer posts, I don’t know how long it will take me to not be sad about this whole situation but I will continue to motor on and be the best I can be. With that being said, I have signed up for the The Inaugural Move Your Paws for the Polar Bear Cause 3km Run. I’m very excited about this run!! It’s at the Toronto Zoo and this will be the first one hosted in February with super adorable polar bear medals (yes, there is a Zoo run in August as well but this is only up to a 3km fun run). If you live in Ontario or plan on being in the GTA February 22nd, please join in on the run! Proceeds go to the Toronto Zoo. It’s only 3 kms, and if you’re slow like me or if you choose to walk (basically my pace), you’ll be done in less than half an hour! If you walked the zoo, you’d be walking more than 3km. Oh and your race fee includes all day entry for yourself to the Toronto Zoo.

It does seem like it has been forever since blogging and my thoughts are all over the place trying to get you all caught up!
Last week, after giving up on my running streak after 35 days, I substituted the run with a Spin Class! On February 4th I rode for 51 minutes!! It was super intense and completely different from my first spin class. The instructor this time didn’t introduce herself or give me the opportunity to speak to her before the class (unlike the first one I went too). Both classes were “advanced” and yes, this one surely felt way too hard for me but as long as I kept peddling it didn’t matter much to me. I’d like to continue to spin to get a different activity in that will compliment with running.

I hope you have been doing well yourself, I have not been able to get out to read any blogs over the last week but I do plan on getting caught up this week. Look forward to my likes when I drop by and catch up on your journey!

Thank you to everyone who read my last post and sent me some feedback/support. I’m not going to lie, I’m still pretty sad and right now I don’t really know if it’s all because I’m still “fat” or because I’m just sad my uncle has passed and my family doesn’t seem to be coming together… or maybe I am just taking this more personal than anyone else would have expected? I guess death is a hard thing to move on from and to stay strong for those even closer that are affected (like my aunt, my cousins, and my mom). Am I just being selfish and want to see family so I can get some comfort? Maybe they need their space and I should just let it be. Or maybe I am just sad because some people look at me and think I’m huge and some people think I’m small or healthy… But like I said, despite how I physically look and what people stay I am still not in a healthy weight range. I’m fat, I still huff and puff while running, and I don’t feel very healthy. I could also just be sad because I’m not very happy at work anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I love my team, but the rest of my work life kind of frustrates me… Honestly, if you don’t love what you do, go find another job, don’t just get by with what you think is minimal effort when it’s really 0 effort. Anyways, I won’t go into it but I’m a little stressed out with how some people have gotten so far in life when it doesn’t seem like they deserve it at all.

After today’s run, I am calling a quits to the run streak. Not that I’m a quitter and stopping running, but taking a day or so break. My shins hurt while I run and the last thing I want is shin splints, I’ve heard those are a nightmare for a runner. Hopefully, I will get out to a few more spin classes and try a few different machines at the gym. I’m the awkward introvert who doesn’t like talking to people or asking questions, so using new machines takes me a few minutes to figure it out, heh…

February 3 Run: 7:34 (m:ss), 1 km, 7’34″/km (Treadmill)

Well, there’s run streak 35 completed and I’m going to take a break for the sake of me… I don’t want to! I want to keep running but I guess I should listen to my body with all these new aches and pains that I haven’t had before.

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I am in dire need of some help, inspiration, and education. I am a little beat up. Today I ran 1 km again. I’m feeling a pain in my lower right back mostly when I run. It’s very low and very sharp in one spot. It makes me sad because it feels like I’m too fat and it’s causing my body to ache. After a month of activeness and now 34 days of running plus eating healthier, I haven’t lost any weight!! Before you jump to conclusions, I am not in my ideal weight. I’m borderline obese for my height and age. If I don’t continue the work I’m doing, I know I will gain more weight, it doesn’t stop. Some days I don’t feel quite as fat as today. So, I’ve been pretty sad and bummed out over not losing any weight, still feeling jiggly, and aching all over.

I’m determined to keep my run streak going but am I ruining my body by not giving myself proper rest days? But really, what is 8 minutes of running really going to do to me in a bad way? I’m extremely conflicted because I am a very stubborn person, so naturally, I do not want to break this streak because of a little pain or sadness over not losing weight – even if I am questioning it a little bit…

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Continue running even if it is only 1 km a day or take some time off?

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This above all – to thy own self be true. – Edward de Vere (The REAL Shakespeare)

There’s no actual Febathon challenge like Janathon, but I’m too exhausted to think of a cleaver title. I’m just thinking how I can’t stop running each day to continue my run streak. Today is day 33. I had planned on doing 2k but my body just wouldn’t have it. Or maybe it was a little mental too. I am just not feeling right, but I did the run to finish at least 1 km before stopping. I did some of my regular strength exercises after the run as well. Just a few weights and sit ups. Not a whole lot but better than none.

February 1 Run: 8:33 (mm:ss), 1.05 km, 8’05″/km (Treadmill)

I hope to continue my running daily and find new forms of energy. I’m probably just tired and cranky since I didn’t sleep well and get enough rest from all the activity I had done yesterday. At least I got in a Kilometre (maybe I should start thinking in Miles?).

Despite how exhausted I am from this morning’s 11.8 km run, my longest yet, I got back on the treadmill late tonight to run 2 kms. You may think I’m crazy since I got my Janathon Day 31 run in already and set some new records but really, I had one more record to set and I do not want to live in regret. I was 900 metres away from 100 kms. I have officially covered 101 kms for the month of January!!! Not much else to blog about other than my body is tired, treating myself to chicken wings and fries for dinner is not a good idea when you plan on running again in the evening, and I think I finally understand runner’s toenails? I’ve never understood how you would get purple toes and such (I had that a lot from soccer due to the impact). Tonight, while running, all I could feel were both my big toes hurting but only where the toenail is… are they going to go purple??? My toenails aren’t even long. They’re pretty short… It must have been the 1.5 hour run from this morning!… Oh well. Hopefully this is the last you hear of my feet!

I wish I could carry tonight’s run into tomorrow as part of my run streak but I guess that isn’t how it works is it? I have a feeling I’ll be pretty beat up tomorrow and won’t do much other than rest. Any-who, I am super happy I have broken a couple PRs today (nothing in speed, but that shall come soon!).

My strength training exercises weren’t set in stone and I did them after every run. I did not log those in as cross/strength training hours. I need to be doing all of those exercises on a daily basis to get my body moving. I need to incorporate more reps and more variety to tone and strengthen my body. Yay, new plans for February!

I’d like to Congratulate everyone for their hard efforts this month and success! We’re only in January and we’ve started the year so strong. Only 11 more months to keep up the amazing lifestyle we have built. Thanks again for being so wonderful, supportive, and a great human being.

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. – Og Mandino

January 31 Run: 1:30:00 (hh:mm:ss), 11.80 km, 7’39″/km (iPod)

Today was my longest run to date in both distance and duration. I was only 200 metres away from 12 km!! I did this all on the treadmill and had I known I was that far off I would have done the extra 200, I had it in me!! Actually, I was aiming for 11 km because my Running Free was telling me I was 10.9 kms away from hitting 100 kms this month! I joked yesterday and earlier today that I should do 11 kms just so I could hit 100 for the month. I didn’t want to wait until next Janathon or do it next month when it’s 3 days less! I got down to my treadmill and set it to 90 minutes, that should give me plenty of time to complete 11 k and if my body couldn’t that’s okay too. I also set it to 90 minutes so I would beat my longest run time on my Nike+ from last year (1 hours 26 minutes and I think it was 10.6 km). It was time to set a new record for the new year! Well I was in quite some excitement even knowing I only missed 200 metres from 12 k… I plugged my gadgets into the computer and uploaded… Oh no, Nike+ says I’m 900 m away from 100 km for the month, what the frig?! Ok ok.. calm down, Nike+ doesn’t always seem to add up well… Where’s my notebook, let me manually add these up… Oh no, I’m still short!… Okay, let me type this up on a calculator and add it up… Oh no, now I’m short 1.2 kms… What’s going on?! Back to the Running Free site to review the analysis…. My Wednesday January 29th run, was submitted twice!!! How could I?!?!?! 2.76 kms extra added in that were not earned… It is still early in the day and if I’m not fully broken, I will get on the treadmill again to do 2 kms so I can claim my 100 km month!!!

Janathon Day 31 has been completed (even if I’m not fully done). I got in my planks (check out Janathon PJ Off-Side-Plank here!) plus my regular mini strength work outs along with a long run. The run was 9 minutes on (5 mph) and 1 minute off (4 mph) for 90 minutes. Could it really be over already? This community has been so touching, inspirational, and supportive, I don’t want it to ever end! I even signed up for twitter (@rundmach) just for Janathon and I’m not even sure if I’m using it right! I don’t want this to stop so I’m just going to keep working out every day and keep blogging as much as I can. I don’t know if I will commit to blogging every day but I will commit to being active. Besides, I’m at 32 days of running now, let’s see how far I can go!

This month has taught me so much. I have followed the lives of so many alike and so many I adore. I have gone from strength to strength. I have thought about fellow Janathoners in my regular day and wishing them well. I am extremely thankful for each and every one of you who follow my blog, who has been active, who inspire me, who like my posts, and who is there for me. I am touched and sad this is over. I am no longer just an I. We have been through so much this month and I couldn’t be happier to have been part of this journey. We have put in all of our time to complete all 31 days and as the site says, we are all winners, and we should all be proud:

What do I win?
You win smugness and immense self-satisfaction.

We have succeeded!! Ran every day this month and was active! So, this is not the end. This is really just the beginning and I’m sure many other blogs I read today will be of the same esteem. We are all superstars!! I can go on about how grateful I am for this month and how YOU have helped me get to where I am today. I won’t ramble on but know that each of you mean sometime special to me and I’m very happy that I get to share my life with you. I’d also like to send me gratitude and Thank you’s out to Cathy @ JogBlog and everyone else who is involved with organizing and keeping this alive!!!

For now, I need to go shower and get on with my day. Don’t be surprised if you see another blog today covering another km that I need so I can hit 100 km for the month.

I survived my first spin class today!! Janathon Day 30 has been completed with a double work out. A 9 am spin class and a short 9 pm running session (plus the regular strength exercises after the run). My bottom hurts a lot, particularly what I’m told are the sit bones that hurt a ridiculous amount already! The spin class was pretty awesome. I was told it was no beginner class and would be challenging but I could go at my own pace and rest when I needed. I followed the regular “rest” period as everyone else for the 45 minute duration of the class. I ended up being on the bike for almost an hour – showing up early and starting to spin away to get warmed up. My bum hurt before the class even started! I also had cycling shorts on with the padding. I’m a little shocked a lot of ladies in the class (and guys – but they can hide it better under shorts), didn’t have padded pants or shorts on??? How do they survive? My friend who came with me to spin class (he’s done it before), is planning on going back tomorrow morning! Do I dare join him?? I said I am interested and in, but we’ll see how I feel in the morning. My legs felt a little off after getting off the bike but I’m okay now. Hopefully, these classes pay off and I see my body shed a few of those stubborn pounds that don’t want to come off.

The YMCA offers a lot of classes with membership or drop in rates. The spin class was very well taught and I think the instructor was awesome. She was very nice, not intimidating at all, taught me how to set up my bike (and move it – yes, I was the awkward person trying to roll my bike over from the back of the trainer), and she kept everyone motivated. I like her, too bad she only teaches day classes – I’ll be going to evening ones after work.

The class really helped me out to start off the day today. I wasn’t able to think at all, only listen to what the instructor said and force my legs to keep motoring on through all those hills and fast speed intervals. It took a very long time to get to bed and having to wake up early, I didn’t sleep all that much last night. I was finally able to let my mind go into no where land thanks to the spin class.

This image basically sums up how I got through the class. Just keep going – persevere! Although I may not have been going nearly as fast as any of the other spinners (cyclists? What’s the correct term here??), I was giving it my all. I had set the tension to what were tough for me and when I thought I could handle more, I’d turn it up a notch (but really, I couldn’t handle that notch very long).

I am sad and it’s hard to ignore sad thoughts but overtime it will fade… I not sure how long I will be in morning. I’ve just been a bit quieter in thoughts and sitting at home, cleaning, resting, just being. I eventually got up to continue my run streak – Day 31 now completed with a steady 5 mph run for 16 minutes.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. – Unknown, From an Irish headstone

January 29 Run: 20:00 (mm:ss), 2.75 km, 7’19″/km (iPod)

Janathon Day 29 has been completed with a 20 minute run. I warn you today’s post is going to be a little depressing and scattered. I can’t really keep my thoughts together as my initial thought was to run for 60 minutes or really as long as I possibly could… I will try to lay out the events of my day that lead me to thinking all the running in the world will make me feel better… I don’t expect you to read all of this, I just need an outlet right now and this is all I have.

Today, I stayed home. Taking a mini stay-cataion today to Friday and Friday is the Chinese New Year where I was planning to go home and celebrate with my Mom and go visit my Uncle to have some celebrations, laughed, and food. Early in the morning, I headed over with a friend to the YMCA here to take a tour of the facilities. Yes, I have a treadmill but I’ve been thinking about trying out a spin class and maybe start swimming. Woah, those are all the triathlete sports! I’m not sure if that’s where I’m heading since I dread road bikes but I have heard so much great things about spin classes and losing weight. I didn’t sign up for a membership yet since this facility offers a 7 day free trial. I signed up and tomorrow morning at 9 am I will be doing my first spin class (Cyclefit as they call it). Scared and anxious, I hope it turns out well because I’d like to drop a few pounds!! Plus, if I do sign up for the facilities, I can try a run on the treadmill there and compare it to the treadmill I own (for a comparison of the distance and pace). After registering for a free week starting tomorrow, we stopped a local bike shop for him to check out some road bikes. It was 1:10 pm when I noticed at 1:08 pm I missed two calls from my mom. I immediately called her back (my mom doesn’t call me during the day unless it’s an emergency)… It was… I don’t want to get into major details but my mom’s brother, my uncle, passed away at noon today. He had cancer. He outlived cancer for longer than he should have. I just saw him Saturday at our family dinner at his house! I was planning to visit him this Friday to wish him a Happy New Year!…. I headed home straight away… called my brothers… Curled up in bed and cried… and cried… and continued to be sad. I ordered bad food…. I curled up on the couch… I moped around… I kept thinking, the best thing I can do is just get on the treadmill and run as much as I can so I can get lost in the run. Really?! That does NOT work. You cannot run from your problems and no matter how many miles you put in, you cannot bring someone back. My thoughts keep going back to my aunt, my wonderful aunt… my cousins… my mom…. I pushed my speeds up to even 6 mph for the last 2 or 3 minutes until I just stopped because all I wanted to do was drop and curl up. I need to mourn before I can force myself to move on but all I want to do is force myself to move on. If I continued to run, I’m sure I would have fallen flat on my face. I kept thinking about my uncle and thoughts of him. Thoughts of how he was the one person of all my aunts and uncles to connect with me in any way. We’ve even chatted over running when I told him I had started running, he told me how he would go for runs before he got sick… I pushed on and kept pushing the pace higher and higher. I know that he loved me. I thought about my sweet aunt who loved my uncle more than anything. My aunt who showed her unconditional love for him and cherished him. My family may not be the closest family but this is the family I have and I don’t want to lose anyone in it. I love them all even if we only see each other once a year or only chat online every now and then. I thought about how much I wished running could take away the sadness and make everything better. How badly I wanted to shut my brain off and just run. I should be happy that my overall run averaged a pace of 7’14″/km which is pretty darn fast for me right now. I’d ideally like to be running a 7 minute kilometre but really, I’d just like my uncle back. That was my day. I am still going to go to the spin class tomorrow and hope for the best. Sorry for babbling on…

Burrrrrr! It is cold outside! It’s not quite the temperature that’s cold, it’s the wind! It’s still going up to gusts of 50-54 kms! Thank goodness I have my treadmill! Yup, I’m saying it again, I like my treadmill. Today’s run was pretty great! I did what I’ll call an interval run, 1 minute on and 1 minute off. 5.3 mph on and 5.0 mph off. That’s a 7’02″/km on pace and a 7’27″/km off pace each minute. I did pretty awesome!! It was getting annoying having to click up up up, down down down every 60 seconds BUT it was so worth it because I just felt so strong being able to run 5.3 mph and having 5 mph seem “slow”. This run was still challenging but it was amazing!

Here we are with Day 28 completed for Janathon with a 2.11 mile run and some strength training exercises. To continue on with my 29 day running streak, I have registered for 2 additional runs for this year. My running journey continues with a Valentine’s 5k on February 9 and a 10k in the Toronto Yonge Street 10k run on April 13. I am now up to 4 races registered for this year. Ideally, I’d like to be doing 1 a month but there are none in January so I’ll count my December 31st Resolution run as my January run. Besides, Running every day for Janathon is a big race on its own!

After signing up and looking at all these races, I would really like to be doing some charity work but I just don’t know how? I’ve exhausted my friends and co-workers over the last year. How do I go about asking for more donations? I know I can volunteer my time but I don’t feel like it’s as valuable as what the money can do for finding a cure, providing medical support, spreading awareness, and supporting those who really need it. If you are fundraising, please let me know, I’m not very well off but I would love to support a good cause.

I’m still looking for motivation to run harder and stronger. Here’s the speech I listened to today and found the video online:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller

January 27 Run: 25:00 (mm:ss), 3.12 km, 8’01″/km (iPod)

It’s time to take it back a notch today and do an “easy” run. Almost everything I’ve read recommends shifting between easy, tempo, speed, and long slow distance (LSD) runs as well as adding intervals and fartleks into these runs. Having a variety of runs is supposedly the best way to lose weight while running but also increase your strength in running. When I was doing the running for weight loss program for a couple of weeks, it definitely worked for keeping weight off. Plus, with the major distances I did for myself over the weekend, I needed a shorter run tonight. My legs are a little tight. Although I did not do a walk run interval today, I kept a steady, “easy”, 4.7 mph for the entire duration of the run. Why do I keep putting easy in quotations? Because it’s still not easy! Running at 4.7 mph or 5 mph, it seems about the same challenge in terms of effort exerted. No biggie though, I completed 25 minutes of steady running for Janathon Day 27!

Booyah! 28 day run streak so far! Only 4 more work outs before Janathon is over. Can we do a Febuthon? Is that a thing?

That’s how I feel! Excited after running and happy to be alive, happy that I have a wonderful life, and happy I run. All of this after a puzzling Monday… I didn’t enjoy my Monday too much at work – too much stuff going on (nothing out of the ordinary) but I guess I just wasn’t ready for it. Mondays are extremely mentally exhausting sometimes, a big go go go and I don’t think I had my head in the game. Now, it doesn’t matter, I ran, it’s okay! 😀

The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don’t give up! – Robert Tew

January 26 Run: 50:00 (mm:ss), 6.52 km, 7’41″/km (iPod)

Well hello Sunday Runday & Readers! Yesterday, I was super stoked to have finished 5 k and said I wasn’t hurt by not hitting 6 k because the time ran out. Honestly, I wasn’t, but because I knew I still had it in me, I’ve been thinking I want to do 6 k next. For Janathon Day 26, running streak day 27, I completed a 6.5 k run (4 miles)! I went for a 1.5 km walk before this outside just to get some fresh air, plus it’s snowing and not ridiculously cold out today but the wind still hurt. I had a mini foam rolling session this morning to stretch out my tight calves/quads from yesterday. After the run I completed my regular strength exercises.

I found that the run went by pretty quickly today after I got over the fact that I hung up a motivational poster in front of the treadmill crooked… I have some OCD with certain things and seriously I couldn’t look at it any more. I changed my iPod from music to motivational speeches again and listened to the one I posted yesterday twice during today’s run. If anyone knows where I can find this BEST Workout Motivation in just audio to download, that would be fantastic! I even put on the video today and that really got me pumped! I’ve tried listening to podcasts, watching tv shows / documentaries, and regular music but nothing has worked like this video compilation. My last session (a 5 minute run after intervals of 8:1), I increased speeds from 5.2 up to 5.7 mph! I’m actually starting to like my dreaded treadmill again!!! It’s telling me I’m running at paces I find amazing for me and helping me push myself to run long and further than I would outside. This must have been how I felt last winter when I built up to running 10k’s on the treadmill! Any ways, it does get a little boring on the treadmill but today I really found listening to different motivational speeches really got me through the run quicker than when I was switching to songs.

Do you have any recommended motivational speeches that are heart pumping?
Any recommendations on what to listen to while running?

Boy, if my treadmill could do the things I thought paying $800 for a machine would do, I would have completed 6 km. I know I complain about the treadmill a lot but I really wish I could just add 5 minutes to a current session without having to wait for it shut down, restart, and reselect all my run settings. I actually had set out to complete 5 km, so I set the treadmill to 45 minutes giving myself a good little buffer if I decided to run “slow”. My run felt pretty great! I steadily increased my pace from 4.8 up to 5.5 mph throughout the run. At each 8 minute interval, I had a 1 minute walk at 3.9 mph.

What drove me to running up to 5.5 mph? Well, You’ll have to thank motivational speeches as cliché as they are, they work! I was skimming through some online radio workout stations while running and I hit skip a LOT even on my own playlists. I came across this in a station: BEST Workout Motivation (warning, 9 minutes long and you will want to be a beast after this!). It wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before but I think around the 5 minute mark, the “WHO AM I?! I AM A CHAMPION” got me really really pumped up and that’s when I went from 4.9 to 5 to 5.1 to 5.3 in 1 interval. Nearing the end, with I think 4 minutes left, I looked at the actual distance and realized how close I could be to 6 km. I knew I wouldn’t hit it with my pace (I even knew 5.5 wouldn’t get me there), but I had to up the speed and get as close as I can in the 45 minutes I had set. I’m not heartbroken over not hitting 6 because that wasn’t what was going to define my successful run today, 5 k was the goal and I have achieved it. This doesn’t mean I’m settling for less either.

After the run, I continued with some more of my strength training exercises. The nice kind of sore happens almost every morning in my upper back / shoulder blades. I’m working on bringing sexy back! Haha.

So, here we are, the last week of Janathon, with Day 25 completed early in the day. Yes, I went for my run before noon today! I have a family dinner tonight and well that will go late and include a lot of food. I did some cleaning and organizing in my basement. Prepped some of my fruits into snack sized containers. I also woke up at 7 am and didn’t get back to bed so I’ve had a pretty productive day so far! With only 6 more days of Janathon being the “reason” why I’m running, I have already been running for me but I like having Janathon be the excuse; plus it just seems easier to let myself down than an entire community! However, I am working at changing that mentality and working on focussing on me! 😀

Hello, Janathon day 24! I have completed you and continued my 25 day run streak! Boy does it feel good. I would love to be running more but really, the treadmill does get pretty boring. Today, I even contemplated running outside, I went outside for a walk to test the weather. About 300 metres out, I turned back home. The crazy wind-chill warnings weren’t a joke, up to 77 km/h winds!! I was bundled up and only my eyes were exposed under my eyeglasses. My eyes hurt from the wind so much I decided I would turn around and settle for the indoors.

It’s been over a week since I’ve run 5 k and I’m jonesing to get another 5 k in ASAP! I really wanted to make tonight the night after freshly silicone-ing up the treadmill but once I got ready, I decided I would continue to take it easy until I felt my body is 100% ache free. Man, am I getting old? I have to watch what I eat, exercise more, and weight is so much harder to shed. Is this what it’s like choosing a 9-5 desk job? I guess I should have already came to this conclusion much earlier. First 3 years in this job and I gained 30 pounds. Luckily, this year I’m halfway in and I haven’t gain any! *Whew* This running and watching what I eat must actually be working. Sometimes I envy those who get to be move active as part of their job even if they don’t realize it; for example, a teacher is on their feet most of the day, a retail associate (what I was doing before I sat my keister down for 8 hours a day) is on their feet most of their day, doctors, dentists, engineers, vets, contractors, and the list goes on of jobs where you are constantly moving. The other day at work, I sat down at 9 am and didn’t get up until 2:30 pm! I had my food and water at my desk with me so I didn’t even realize that I never even stood up for over 5 hours. I only ended up getting up to use the restroom! Isn’t that a little nuts? That’s 5 hours of sitting and all I’m moving are my fingers, typing away, analysing data, staring at a screen and giving my brain a major workout but my body a major setback. I normally try to ensure I get up multiple times a day – especially to refill my water, but to make sure I’m moving! So, how do I cope and get more exercise in? At one point I was trying to run during my lunch hour instead but really, who wants to sit at their desk all sweaty for the latter half of the day? There’s meetings and vendors to meet, no one wants to see an after run me in a professional setting.

What kind of job do you have? Is it active?
Do you have a 9-5 desk job? How do you cope?

Oh and one more thing, I saw this image the other day and it made me laugh because it’s pretty true.
Except for those of you who can buy healthy foods on a budget and learn to make it quick, the bravo!
So, today I saw this video and it’s pretty awesome! This is 200 Calories:

Today’s run was just a little scary. After yesterday’s run, my treadmill notified me I had to lube up the belt before I could run again. Well, I forgot this until it was 9 PM and I was all laced up and ready to go. I decided to bypass the notification and go for a more focussed 20 minute run. Why focused and why scared? A while back I was running on my mom’s treadmill (Frustrated Disappointment – woah July 2012!), I broke it! I broke my mom’s treadmill because she only used it for walking but when I visited her, I would run on it. After trying to figure out what was wrong, we were told that the treadmill burned out because she never greased it up and my running caused it to overheat and die. So, the run had to be focused just to be prepared if the treadmill decided to just shut off on me and scared because it’s scary when a treadmill just stops in mid-step. I am a little frustrated with reading my post from 2012 seeing that I was running at a 6 minute km pace and right now, I struggle to get a 7:30…. Add 2 minutes to the time I ran today, in 2012 I covered almost an entire km more… that’s so sad… OH but wait, my notes say that I was running at a 4.5 – 5 mph pace on the treadmill, that’s what I’m running now?! I wish I had taken note of what the treadmill read instead of my iPod. This must have been before I realized that my iPod had never calibrated the right distance or pace and is all hooey!!!

I completed my Janathon day 23 run which is my 24th day run streak! I’ve also been keeping up with my strength exercises after the run too!! I find it a lot easier to get these done when my heart is pumping after a run. I know I may not be running at what other runners are in terms of pace and distance, but hey, I’m still doing something that the old me would not have! I can’t believe I’ve gotten off my butt every day for 24 days and completed a physical activity outside of my regular routine of work, eat, sleep, repeat. It’s pretty awesome that right now I can say my regular routine is eat, sleep, work, run. Oh and showering is important now too I guess! Haha!

Check it out, my cycling today was about the same distance as yesterday but 2 minutes faster. I aimed to bike for 10 minutes and didn’t think about pace either. My knee is feeling much better. Thanks for all the tips fellow bloggers! Today, I ran with a knee brace/tensor and it felt good. I ran pretty slow and it was tough keeping the treadmill at a slower pace but I knew it would be good for me. I still worked up a sweat!

I’m exhausted right now so this will be a short one and not very inspirational, sorry… Pretty long day too with a lot of focus/thinking/analysis done. Great day for being productive and getting work done but very tiring. Off to bed as I could barely stay awake after 4 at work. On a happier note, it’s been 23 straight days of getting a run in and Janathon day 22 completed. Pretty awesome! 🙂

As you can see, for Janathon day 21, I have completed a slow 1 kilometre run with a slow 12 minute session on my stationary bike. Not only was this due to coming home from running errands after work and having dinner at 8 pm, but because my knee has been hurting since last night’s run. I’ve had this sharp pain in my right knee that can’t be stretched out and relieved. When it’s not a sharp pain it just feels dull and irritated… I’m guessing it’s from the huge jump up in speed and possibly running at a higher incline. If it wasn’t for my determination to continue my running streak (now at 22 days!!), I would not have run at all (it’s not logical to right now with this sort of pain)…. Well, the biking didn’t help too much either as that enhanced a pain on the outside of my knee that I didn’t experience before but is now throbbing as it hurt every pedal…. I’ll be taking the pace slow again and see what I can do to make this better – I may even slow it down to an 8’30″/km tomorrow! Tomorrow, I plan on grabbing a knee tensor after work to wrap up my knee. Hopefully this will help, as well as help while I’m on the treadmill. I sound like such a whiny pants but I’m actually just hoping that my sad descriptions of my pain will spark some interest or experience you may have had that you can share with me.

I’ve also never tracked my cycling on a stationary bike. I’ve never been a big bike person…….*gasp*….. okay world…. Here’s one of my deepest secrets…. *deep breath in*….. I can’t really ride a bike! Yup, there I said it, it’s out there… So, I can ride a bike forward on flat road and that’s about it. I can’t even tell you when the last time I rode a real bike outdoors was… I can tell you that the idea of being on a road bike going downhill terrifies me more than being in a room full of snakes. Well, my overall point of all of this is, I’m not even sure what the standards are? Is this like Running where I run at my own pace and I compare myself to myself or is there supposed to be a certain speed or distance covered within a time range that certifies a good effort work out? Are there certain stats I should be looking at or focussing on?

Overall, I am proud of myself for getting in my daily dose of activity. I did skip the strength exercises on the stability ball but I did do my weights. Anything that had to do with legs I kind of skipped tonight just to play it safe.

It is now way past my relax/bed time so off I go to rest and elevate my leg (does that even work for the knee?).

A dream only becomes overrated when not pursued by the dreamer. – Courtney Hickman

January 20 Run: 20:00 (mm:ss), 2.72 km, 7’25″/km (iPod)

Janathon day 20 has come and gone in a flash! Boy, Mondays always seem to fly by… not to mention coming home, making dinner, then spending over an hour on a puzzle and realizing it’s 8 pm, I should run! Yes, I said it, I’m addicted to this puzzle I got not too long ago and I can’t stop!! I’ll stop when it’s done. It is the most relaxing thing ever after a day at work. I’m addicted!!! Hmm… I feel the same about running yet I have more motivation to give an hour to sitting on my butt to work on the puzzle instead of get outside to run. *Sigh* … Right, back to my original point, it’s day 20! There’s only 11 days left to Janathon… Who’s going to keep my accountable after these 11 days? Myself??? I guess so… Hopefully with your help!

Today’s run included a higher incline for the first 10 minutes, then a faster pace for the last 10 minutes. I got up to 6.2 miles per hour for the last 3 minutes!! Pretty awesome if I say so myself. I’d love to be able to run 6.2 miles per hour as my regular pace!! That would be my ideal ultimate fast pace. It’s a 6 minute kilometre and may seem slow to you but that would put me almost 2 minutes faster than my average pace. This was such an awesome run I wanted to run more but was feeling the pain in my right knee and ankles so thought I’d stop when the time stopped. I still find it weird that my treadmill doesn’t allow me to add time to a current workout to extend the run… I have to wait for it to complete and the reset before I start over and choose all the options all over again. Wow, enough side-thoughts… I kept the momentum of the high pace running and then did my strength training exercises in ultra fast speeds. You know, you’re working out really hard when you’re only on 20 sit ups on an exercise ball and you can’t decide which hurts more: my thighs from holding them firm on the group and perpendicular or my core from the sit-ups all the way down to my knees. Overall, I had a good half hour work out.

My long-term goal is to be around to run long-term. – Jeremy Dobrick, Runner’s World

January 19 Run: 25 (mm:ss), 3.30 km, 7’37″/km (iPod)

Well, I didn’t go out today… It was snowing a bit earlier and pretty cold out so I stayed in and did laundry instead! I actually quite enjoyed my Sunday; I’m pretty sure I’d be an awesome hermit (inside my own home) if that choice was logical. I got around to my run in the evening since I’m now accustomed to it. As much as I mentally kept trying to get myself ready for a run during the day, I couldn’t get into it. On the plus side, at least I can still get myself into the workout spirit even if it is in he evening time.

Tonight I completed Janathon day 19 with my regular strength training exercises and a 25 minute run at a gradually increasing pace (from 4.8 miles up to 6 miles per hour) at a slightly higher incline than my norm.

I’m not going to lie, Bridesmaids is on TV and it’s a little distracting.
Lucky for me, my blog is my personal journal and well I encourage you to share my personal thoughts and feelings.

I love this blog, I love your blogs, and I love being able to keep myself accountable here without being judged.

Since it’s on commercial break I can now refocus and tell you about my new goal for this year. I know I’ve been talking about doing my first half marathon but for 2014, I have decided I’d like to complete a 10 miler race and a few more 10Ks under my belt before jumping into a half marathon.

I haven’t found any 10 milers that I am crazy about fundraising for… There is one not too far away from where I live and the treats are all chocolate! The only negative is this race is on Mother’s day and I don’t think my Mom would want to spend the day with me for my run, I’d rather me spending the day with her, for her.

Have you ever ran a 10 miler race? I can’t find that many…
Are there any in Ontario, Canada you would recommend?

I may have wished for too much yesterday saying “Better Sore than Sorry” because today, I am SORE! I guess I’m not sorry at all but that extra speed, the little extra push for some more squats, and probably lack of stretching has caused my legs to be pretty sad today. When I stepped on the treadmill tonight (yes, don’t remind me that I was too lazy all day to run out in the sunlight), my quad/IT band area was still hurting quite a bit. Despite the stretching and foam roller session I did today to relax my legs, I felt like I was in a bit of pain. So, run it off! I decided I would cut my run short and run 1 km then get on the bike; the last thing I want to do is hurt myself and have to stop running all together for a while. Well, luckily, the pain subsided as I kept running so I completed the 20 minutes I had initially set out at what I’ll say is a pretty good pace for being in pain. On the crazy side today, my Nike+ watch which normally underestimates how much distance I’m doing on a treadmill decided it would bump up my self-esteem by saying I ran 2.74 kms at a 7’20″/km pace. I know, I can’t really trust the watch unless I’m out with GPS on (even though the point of the watch with a foot pod is for indoors)… Enough with the stats. I’m sore and so I did my strength exercises afterwards with some stretching. I did skip the squats today because well, I did 2 or 3 and my legs were screaming at me. I opted to do my squat reps in rotating sit ups.

#MegsMiles – Today’s mile was also ran for Meg. I won’t go into much detail other than my heart sinks each time I hear a tragedy like this. My heart goes out to her family. Find out more here.

Janathon Day 18 Completed! 13 Days left but really, I hope it turns into a life time of habit!

I missed a shout out yesterday for Nick (Striding Towards Life) who’s doing a double-header, a 5k done today and his first marathon tomorrow! Can’t wait to read all about it! Good Luck Nick!!

Tomorrow, I have to figure out how to run in the morning as I have plans in the evening in which I won’t be home until later. I have been doing all my runs during the evening for quite some time now and shifting to the morning didn’t work when I tried to get out of bed today. Here’s to hoping my legs are happy in the morning and I’m not a big lazy bones.

Happy Friday! I think I’m back to normal!! Nothing like retail therapy and cheesecake to get cured from any kind of sadness, deprivation, sickness or moodiness. Today I took the day off with a friend and drove over to Buffalo. If Janathon counted walking for over 4 hours, I would not have done a run. We spent most of the day shopping and walking (when normally, we both have desk jobs and would have been sitting all day). I got a great haul! Although I got charged taxes again on my way back through the border, I guess that’s how it works (this was my first time!!). I recently read one of Suzan’s posts (Welcome to The Nut House) where you were struggling finding Jeans and this year your goal is to find Jeans that aren’t so Mom Jeans like. I’m excited for you for finding some pretty awesome jeans because that was my biggest excitement today! I found 2 pairs today and in an entire year, I am lucky if I can find 2 pairs of jeans that fit me properly!!! Although I’m not a mom and don’t have the mom jean complex, I have the, I’m short with thick legs and well, I’m short! Finding jeans that fit me is tough because most stores don’t even carry sizes that fit me and if the waist is the right size, I normally can’t even get them past my calves. So, two pairs of jeans, a bunch of candles, a new pair of running shorts, a warm long sleeve running top, and a visit to The Cheesecake Factory, I think I’m back to normal!!!

After getting home from a mini road trip / shopping spree, I got home and laced up. I had a wonderful 30 minute run. A little tough wanting to stop each time I knew I hit a mark (1 km, 10 minutes, 2 km). I just thought, Beach Body, I want that more than I want to stop now so each time I wanted to stop I told myself at each 10 minutes I would walk 1 minute. There we have it, Janathon Day 17 completed with my regular mini session of strength training afterwards. Oh and the strength training is working, my upper back and stomach/core have been a little sore lately when I wake up (all the spots I’ve been targeting)!! This is good sore!! 😀

Thank you to everyone who has been sooooooo extremely supportive in this time while I’ve been sick and then moody. No one like a crabby sicky pants so here I am thanking you for your patience and support. Can’t wait to log some more kms like I did today to make up for those less fortunate runs!

Happy Weekend and Good Luck to all those running this Weekend!
I know Ashley’s (Miles on Oats) doing her second Half Marathon – You’ll be amazing!!
I’ll be reading some more blogs to see what else you’re all up to 🙂

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. – J. K. Rowling

January 15 Run: 18:00 (mm:ss), 2.33 km, 7’47″/km (iPod)

A little different kind of day compared to yesterday. Work felt a lot slower today, I felt exhausted, moody, and basically just cranky. Have you ever had one of those days? Well, after a day like that, nothing was on my mind – not even running. So, I gave what my goal was and did the 2 kms. I did a bit more in terms of sit ups and weights afterwards but probably still not nearly enough. I need to up my cross and strength training! That may be a goal after accomplishing 2 km’s a day for January.

Health-wise I’m probably 95%!! The only other bit is just getting some rest and getting my stomach back to normal. Although during today’s run, I did have to slow down so I could actually blow my nose… that’s not something I can multi-task.

I read a pretty helpful article on Runner’s World today, The 6 Best Exercises for New Runners. There’s some great information in this article – even if you aren’t a new runner!!! The exercises are all basic and pretty easy to perform.

Well, Janathon Day 15 has been completed with a 2 km run. I am on a 16 day run streak! I would have never thought I’d run this many days straight!! I’d like to be a lot more excited but maybe when the month is over and I see a few pounds go (I thought I was losing weight but I’m not)… I know, diet has a lot to do with it too and having pizza for dinner tonight was probably not a good idea. I miss those days when I ate mall food every day and I weighed a lot less than I do now. I like bad foods and I like good foods. I like to eat and I don’t want to give it up. Even in fruits I’ve been told I eat it too much – too much sugar all the time and I eat it all day every day (sugar at night is not as good for you apparently). So, I’ll control myself with moderation – which is why I didn’t eat an entire pizza to myself, I can you know! … I shouldn’t be that proud of that fact but I’m proud I ate two of the smaller slices to the pizza and stopped after that.

I’m not sure how much truth there is to this image below (I’m too tired to do the research on this but it seems appropriate)…It might be true and it might be a myth and there’s a 95% chance that the percentage is purely made up but there’s a 100% craving for some pop and burgers now… This picture is also missing fries! Haha… Stupid advertising.
Unfortunately, if our choices make us who we are and you are what you eat, I’m a big round, greasy, piece of deliciousness! Luckily, I do make other good choices and it’s not like I have pizza every day. 🙂

I hope you’ve been stronger than I and saying NO to those bad craving and substitute with healthier choices.

Until tomorrow’s run, Happy Running! (or Biking, or Walking, or Swimming, or Cross/Strength Training, or whatever you are blogging about because I like reading your blog too!)

Tonight’s run does not include full pics of the treadmill reads since the run was split into two intervals: a 30 minute set plus an 8 minute set. This happened again by setting the treadmill to 30 minutes at the beginning when I intended to run maybe 26 (3 kms). After 30 minutes I was at 4 kms and felt good enough that it wouldn’t hurt me to run 8 more minutes (1 km). The treadmill read 3.21 miles in 38 minutes, so my pace here was pretty amazing, 7’21″/km. I did try to push myself a whole lot harder.

No, unfortunately, I’m not 100% better. However, during the entire run, I only had 1 cough attack which wasn’t so bad! Each day the symptoms seem to change a little bit but today I do feel better. Headache is gone and my nose isn’t running faster than me anymore! I am still nauseous at times and feel sick to the stomach but that little bug can kiss it while I suck it up and run. My chest still feels heavy and throat is still scratchy.

Since I’ve been sick for quite a few days now, I’ve decided I should just fake it until I make it. Who cares if I’m not feeling well? I’ve got to get in some kilometres and that’s just what I did! It’s been 2 weeks of Janathon now and I haven’t given a rest day yet to running! How can I? Your runs and blog posts are keeping me inspired, I must keep going!

What’s new? I’m still feeling sick. Went to work, didn’t feel nearly as bad as I have the last few days, made it through, and got home in one piece. Feeling a lot more nauseous tonight and a lot more coughing tonight than during the entire day. Sick of being a lazy butt and doing 1 km, I put myself on the treadmill for 18 minutes – whatever distance this would have equated to would be it. I put the speed up just one notch higher than the last 2 days since I really wanted to push myself out of this self-pity of sickness. In the end I completed a bit more than 2 k at a pace a little quicker than the last 2 days. No where near back to normal – my chest was killing me and a few cough attacks during the running proved quite challenging. Janathon Day 13 Completed.

I’d like to get back to my normal self and run outside again. Now, I am a little hesitant to get back outside; worried I will over/under-dress, slip on all the ice, waste too much time getting dressed (since the treadmill is easy to get ready for), not have water with me, etc. The motivation to get outside is not back and I’m worried I may lose momentum… Help?…

By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate YOU? The reader, yes, you! Thank you for your likes, for your comments, and for your support! You’re making me feel a lot better and helping me stay accountable to being active every day during this time where I only want to curl up in bed. Not only do I get on the treadmill – when I’m done my stretches, I do some other exercises. I would not be doing any of this without you, THANK YOU!!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. – Aristotle

January 12 Run: 9:00 (m:ss), 1.08 km, 8’28″/km (iPod)

Janathon Day 12 is now complete with another 1 kilometre run. I was really hoping today would be a 3 or 5 k run outside but seriously, I am up and down with being better and being a lot worse. I had to head over to my Mom’s this afternoon to bring her an early birthday gift. Her birthday’s not until later in February but there was this cross-walk treadmill on sale that she wanted so we went to pick it up, bring it over, and help put it together. All this and being sick I felt decent being out of the house. Luckily, I have a wonderful Mom who made me a great soup to take hope (which I’m enjoying now and soothing my throat). On the way home, I got drowsy/weak and slept in the car and felt worse again. Got in, slept some more. Finally got up and stepped on the treadmill for a measly 1k run. I feel worse today after running maybe because I didn’t even have the energy to get down the stairs to the treadmill… I’m beginning to question if running is making me more sick because my body just needs time to rest… and then I think, no way I’m breaking my running streak! I’d rather be a little weak than to ever regret not running when I physically can.

It’s your choice!

I’m sick of being sick and I’m sick of not being able to focus on anything else other than being sick.
I’m chilled to the bone even though I keep waking up in heat sweats… off to take a bath and more sleep in hopes I can survive Monday.

The sick are the greatest danger for the healthy; it is not from the strongest that harm comes to the strong, but from the weakest. – Friedrich Nietzsche

Even though I’m sick, I can’t break this running streak; so, if running 1 km is what I have to do, it’s what I will do.

January 11 Run: 9:00 (mm:ss), 1.08 km, 8’25″/km (iPod)

Well, Janathon is about getting up and being active when you wouldn’t have been. I may have jinxed myself yesterday because I am sicker than ever. My head is pounding, ears are stuffed, nose is running, throat hurts, coughing, and getting hot cold spells. With all of this, I spent the entire day bundled up and lying around. I only made my way downstairs from my bed when I got hungry and had to come down so I stayed on the couch all day. Really, the pounding headache was the only thing that hurt me the most. After some ibuprofen and more sleeping I got up and “ran” a kilometre on the treadmill. It was probably a jogging pace for most but it was still a running pace for me and with the way I was drinking water for those 9 minutes, you’d think I had been running 10k.

To my surprise, after feeling so miserable all day, before, and during my run, I now feel pretty good. My nose and my throat are still being a pain but it seems I feel more awake than I have at all today and the headache has subsided for the time being. Look at this post! It’s getting long, I thought I’d only be able to log the run and then pass out!

Some might say I’m crazy for not just resting and some might think I’m inspirational for getting up, I think I’m a little bit of both. The logical left side of my brain said to stay down and be wrapped up, continuing moping around and be weak. The fantasy based right side of my brain said how bad can 1 k be? Even if I run it slower than what I’ve been running, it will still be 1 extra kilometre I would not have done.

It’s been 12 days now of running and after January, I’d like to keep this running streak going. Hopefully by day 365 I’ll have done so many kilometres, being sick won’t matter! I’ll be on vacation in March though so let’s see how that works out for running every day…

It doesn’t seem like I’m the only one getting sick, so I hope you’re all staying healthy and doing well!
I’ll end today with two little images since I couldn’t choose between them.

Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running. – Sarah Condor

If my nose is running more than I have today, does that count? I’m sure it doesn’t… so after spending my vacation day curled up on the couch, staying warm, and turning my nose into Rudolph’s, I got up to run…

January 10 Run: 16:00 (mm:ss), 2.01 km, 8’04″/km (iPod)

Okay, so I’m sure I would have spent my day off being lazy but I’m sure it would have been way more enjoyable than a scratchy throat and a nose that won’t stop running. However, running with a nose that’s running faster than you are is pretty annoying. Although my run was only for 16 minutes as compared to the 40 yesterday, I completed my 2 km goal plus a few other exercises. More than I can say for all of those other sick days I’ve had. I did plan ahead and put a lot of tissues at my treadmill. I think I had to wipe my nose more than I had to wipe sweat – not that I didn’t work up a sweat! Here’s to completing Day 10 of Janathon!

I spent all day watching mindless television and playing Catan online… I decided I would watch some inspirational videos on Youtube, so here’s what helped me get off the couch, thanks Ben!

I was looking forward to having the day off and running outside during daylight but if I get better soon, I have tomorrow or Sunday still! I have also taken the remaining Fridays off for the rest of January – hello 4 day work weeks! I do plan on spending these days being active. Next Friday I’ll be heading over to Buffalo to shop. I will be on my feet walking, ALL DAY compared to the 8 hours I would have been spending sitting at work. Now here comes a very important question – Does shopping all day count as exercise towards Janathon?

Okay, so here’s the breakdown, I’m still sick with a bit of a sore throat today, but feeling better. Stayed late at work today to get some stuff done (had a major breakthrough in Excel again and I booked tomorrow off). Yay, today was my Friday at work! Anyways, I put myself to the treadmill not really wanting to at all since I got home a little later than normal. I set 18 minutes to run a little more than my 16 minute 2 km run. Since the time flew by and I felt so strong, I put another 7 minutes to the treadmill. After completing my run and completing my run on my iPod, I stepped off the treadmill and still felt strong. I WANTED MORE! I even thought about setting the treadmill to 60 minutes just to see how long I could go. I ended up decided another 16 minutes to add another 2 km. All that adding puts me here: 41 minutes, 5.18 km, and an average pace of 7’55″/km (according to a pace calculator).

No real photo to give you that will have all the details and not sure what to upload from my devices that shows all of my stats in one place. I decided to upload the 3 runs from the treadmill online and this is all I get (see below). Yeah, the Livestrong treadmill kind of sucks and so does the website (it’s hard to navigate through online and the treadmill doesn’t give you too much room to be creative). Unfortunately, the Livestrong site says I only burned 183 calories and I’m pretty sure 5 k burns a whole lot more than that at my weight, haha. I don’t mean to give them a bad review, maybe I’m just so accustomed to the Nike+ site…

I’m coming down with a sickness… I’ve been coughing all day… After getting a shower in the morning for work, all I wanted to do was go back to bed. It even got to a point where I had such a major cough attack in the afternoon, I just smashed my head into my desk wishing it would all end. I thought about coming home and substituting the run with a longer yoga session (I haven’t done yoga in a long time!) but at least yoga would count towards Janathon. I thought about cycling… then I thought how I’d feel if I broke my 8 day run streak just because of a silly potential sickness. I got home and slowly moseyed along until I got all my basic running items on. Two kilometres later, here I am. Glass of Orange Juice to help get extra vitamin c in and one set of hurting lungs / throat / chest. Luckily, I only had one cough attack during the run and that was early on. Boy is it tough trying to run while coughing. The best thing about today, I WANTED TO RUN all day long. That’s all I wanted. I kept thinking that I wanted the cough to go away so I could have a good run. I wanted to feel less tired so I could have a good run. I had a good run because I ran. 🙂

I wish I could spend some time writing some creative or funny blog post but really, I’d just like to go to sleep.

Luckily almost doesn’t count – almost didn’t run today!
Initially I started the day off being excited that I would come home and complete day 7 of Janathon, day 8 of straight running (Starting with a 5K Resolution Run December 31!). Well, my day was exhausting at work, really mentally exhausting. By the time I got home, I just wanted to curl up in bed, get warm, and zone out. After bumming around the couch for over an hour I finally got up and put myself on the treadmill for 2 kms. Done and Done.

“Wow, I really regret that run” – Said by no one ever!(Unless something unfortunate happens on that run… then I’m sorry… 😦 )

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance. The wise grows it under his feet.– James Oppenheim

The way I see it… Runners grow happiness under their feet and flourish in the distance.

January 6 Run: 16:00 (mm:ss), 2.12 km, 7’32″/km (iPod)

There it is!!! Janathon Day 6 complete – another 2 km! I honestly thought that by 6 day I would have caved and done a cycling session instead. I may not have blogged it yet and as it is always said at my work “if it’s written it’s real”, I plan to run a minimum of 2 km a day for the month of January (or at least average out 2 km a day for January). If I decide to cycle instead of run then I will have to ensure the day before or after is at least a 4 km run. Here we are on a Monday after a very busy day at work, I planned that I would be exhausted (mentally) from work so I did 4 kms yesterday in anticipation. Well, I got home after a long day and all I wanted to do was run!!! Maybe I should have done more than 2 kms on the treadmill, but I was dripping of sweat so I knew I got a good work out in. Sometimes 2 kms sound so minimal to me and others it sounds like it’s unachievable! Right now, it’s perfect for me.

Oh by the way, it is -17°C (feels like -29°C) with freezing rain and wind chill warnings and wind gusts at 34 km/h up to 53 km/h. Based on the freezing rain last night, all the sidewalks were iced up and skateable! I don’t think my spikes would have saved me. This is why I opted for the treadmill tonight, haha. It was a no brainer.

Believe in yourself! I believe in me and I can’t wait to see how far my body will go with running every day for an entire month! Part of my Janathon goal is to not let my mental get in the way. I will do what my body can physically do on its own and shut my brain off!

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. – Michael Jordan

January 5 Run: 30:47 (mm:ss), 4.01 km, 7”40″/km

Not only does it make you feel 50% more hardcore; the way I see it, you actually are!!!

That’s what I’m talking about!!! Getting back into the groove and into what my pace should be. Yes, running is running but I’d like to set some goals. I’m not competing with anyone else but myself – so I’d just like to be running faster and stronger than I was last year. Today’s run was amazing – considering I had gone for a run later in the day yesterday, I thought today’s would be a slower recovery run done early in the morning. Well, it wasn’t quite as early as I’d hope but I got out the door by 10:30 am. Luckily, I missed all the freezing rain by the time I headed out to door. Is it bad, I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t get to run in the rain?

I am proud of this run not only because the pace is faster than what it has been lately, but because I knew I could go even faster! Why didn’t I? The route I was running still had quite a bit of snow and with the rain in the morning it was pretty slushy, uck! Luckily, I had my yaktrax on (they’re amazing!), and I did my run with short quick steps… they weren’t all super quick as this got pretty tiring pretty quickly! I was motivated to run on and hit each km within 7 minutes – I did 7 minute run plus 1 minute walk until I got to today’s goal of 4 kms. Did I just say that? I included walking in my run today and I ran a faster pace? Yup!! I need to get back onto proper training (interval runs, speed runs, hills, etc…) BUT I’m not making excuses, I’d just like to spend January and Janathon being active and enjoying life. Not everything has to be so serious. Just Be Happy 🙂

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius

January 4 Run: 42 min, 5.02 km, 8’20″/km

Today’s wonderful, slow, steady run was accomplished outside!! Yay, outside! Although I didn’t get my butt out there until 5:30 pm, it was already dark out! It’s 7 PM now and it look likes it should be midnight. Glad to be able to get outside again in -1°C (feels like -7°C) weather. A little windy (21 km/h) but still fantastic compared to a treadmill run! I went my pace; even though I thought I was going fast but ended up being “slow” – thanks snow! I love snow so I can’t really be upset. 🙂

runrchatts came out and joined me for my run which was great. I always enjoy his company. No music, just a little bit of chit chatting wherever I could get the breathes in to, haha. I didn’t really look at my watch too much other than for timing to see how long I’ve been running each interval. I did look at my pace as I mentioned earlier thinking I was running faster but I didn’t push myself harder or make myself go slower – I just went out and ran.

If you aren’t aware yet, I’m participating in Janathon! Run – Log – Blog for the entire month, every single day. Yes, you can substitute Runs with any sort of physically activity (I’m sure I’ll have a few cycling days). So, for day 4, I got in a good 1 hour work out, 40 minute run and a nice little walk outside after. Thanks to @janathon_ , I have now signed up for twitter too!

So much social media: twitter, facebook, blog, nike+, Running Free (not sure how to get to my personal page), pinterest, and I’m sure I’m part of a bunch of other sites I’m not even sure how to use. The below “Social Media Explained” has been pretty helpful (even at my work I’ve used this a few times about a year ago to help get a handle on all of this and get a good laugh). Why so many different mediums? Well, I really do enjoy reading your stories and blogs but it’s a lot easier to find other Janathoners out there through twitter/facebook so I’ve joined to be able to connect with more of you and read more inspirational stories. Any-who, my username on anything I’m signed up for is rundmach so please, add me, follow me, invite me, let’s be friends! 😀

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. – Emelia Earhart

January 3 Run: 16:08 (mm:ss), 2.32 KM, 6’55″/km (iPod Nano records)

I had revelation today while running! I warn you, this paragraph is a little boring about stats so if you skip to the next paragraph, I won’t blame you! I couldn’t figure out why the image to the right (my treadmill) has been so different from my Nike+ Sportswatch. Better yet, I have been beating myself up about how much slower I am now than I was earlier last year while running on the same treadmill. I was using my iPod Nano over the new watch I have!!! The Nano is off to the real distance outside when tracked with a map, but after confiding in runrchatts, I should trust in the treadmill stats. So, here we are. Treadmill reads 1.45 miles (2.32 km while my watch read 1.84 km). It’s not that I’m being lazy, it’s just because I can tell I am pushing myself way way way harder on the treadmill than I ever am outside. On the treadmill tonight I ran at 5.5 miles per hour or 11 minute mile pace; that’s equivalent to 6’50″/km when my average pace should be around 7″45″/km. Going forward, my treadmill runs will be loaded with my iPod nano instead of my watch (the iPod nano has the ability to be calibrated – this means I can adjust to the distance I see on the treadmill).

After discovering the discrepancy, I am super excited to know that I am not all that slow compared to where I was early last year. It is not about being better than someone else, but it’s about being better than I was yesterday and if I am digressing, then it’s a little demotivating. Today, I have discovered I may not be all that slow – it’s just the treadmill and the devices. Maybe I should take my own advice and JUST RUN!

Now that the extreme wind-chill and cold weather alerts are off, I’m excited to get outside and run this weekend!!!

Janathon Day 3 now complete! Woohoo!!! I hope you’ve been training, running, working out, being active and logging it in! It’s worth it!! At least for me it is. Thanks for your likes and supports! Thanks for sharing your journey with the world and me! Thank you fellow bloggers, runners, and Janathoners!

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. – William Bruce Cameron

Day 2 of the Janathon Challenge – Run, Blog, Repeat.

January 2 Run: 19:34 (mm:ss), 2.19 km, 8’55″/km

I’m getting slower on the treadmill? I thought I was going faster. On the treadmill I completed 20 minutes, 1.65 miles (2.66 km), at a 12 minute mile (7’30″/km). See below for complete comparison between the pieces of technology that will make me go insane one day.

So there it is, 3 different items with the same person doing the same thing at the same time and 3 pretty different outcomes.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Those 20 minutes were killer and I was basically wheezing at the end of it.
I have a lot I want to keep blogging about but since I’ll be doing this for another 29 days, this one will be a shorter one as I’d like to take a bath and relax my muscles.

Good luck to all those out there aiming to succeed in Janathon! It’s only day 2 and I thought about resting – only for half a second!
Please feel free to add me to Nike+ or Running Free – my username is rundmach. 🙂

Happy Running!

rundmach

http://www.janathon.com
p.s. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to put the logo and link to the site to every blog post, so I will do it anyways.

I’m excited to end off a Year with a run. Seeing my tags for my posts with “New Years Resolution” still being one of the larger ones means I’ve kind of succeeded! I’ve continued running this entire year! I have gone for at least 1 run every month this year!! I can’t wait to set new goals for the New Year. I’ve been reading a bunch of inspiring and touching year-end recaps and excited goals for the New Year, I wish you all the best! Your stories and blogs inspire me to continue.

Tonight’s run was at the pace that is comfortable to me without my spikes… didn’t think I would need them since I thought it was a regular “race” but we ran the sidewalks and was following pedestrian rules. The sidewalks were a little dangerous with ice and snow all around so we were all being “slower” and more careful with each step. Although I kept the same pace as my last run, my average heart rate was ridiculously higher than my average, guess I really ran my heart out! There’s no medal or anything but a super cool race jacket! I am so thankful for all of the volunteers, Brita, and all of the staff at the Burlington Running Room (and anyone else who may have been involved).

Thank you runrchatts for doing this run with me! I remember a few months back I didn’t want to do this alone since it was at 5 PM race and I had to go to work this morning so I signed him up and asked him to join me 🙂 Thank you for running my pace as well.

I am a runner. A slow runner. I might be going slower than a snail who’s stuck in peanut butter but I am still moving and proud of it!

This has been an amazing year with a lot of amazing victories: my first 10k, my second 10k, a couple of 5ks in the mix, and a whole lot of money raised for causes I believe in. The only resolution that has been left unresolved is my weight – I started and will be ending the year weighing the exact same. I’m not too bummed out about this since I feel much healthier than I did last year! 🙂
I am off to plan out my New Year and decide on the runs I’d like to do, volunteer for, and charities/causes I’d like to raise some funds for.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you’ll be a success. – Albert Schweitzer

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas / Happy Holiday no matter what you celebrated or will be celebrating!
I hope Santa was good to you. He was too me and all my favourite gifts are running related!! 🙂

December 28 Run: 39:00 (mm:ss), 5.00 km, 7’47″/km

It’s that time of year where I give in and have that second glass of egg nog and choose to spend time in front of the fireplace over lacing up and running. I won’t fully blame it on being sick as I’ve had a some kind of stomach bug for a few weeks now – it’s been so painful some days I just curl up until the pain passes. Today was no different. My stomach felt off and I really didn’t know what to do with myself – besides watch Criminal Minds (Marathon is on for another 7 days – STRAIGHT!). I just chose to let work take over my life and get caught up with the holidays.

Well, regardless of how I felt, I thought maybe my stomach is acting up because I haven’t been running! So, I laced up and put to use my new running spikes from runrchatts. The best part of Christmas? We bought each other the exact same thing – not only running spikes for the winter (because we just had a major ice storm here in southern Ontario), but we got each other the exact same brand and colour just in a different size, hahaha! The ice storm was so intense that people were ice skating on their side walks! Any ways, back to the run. The spikes are fantastic! I felt unstoppable! It was a little odd running on pavement with them on since some of the ice and snow has melted but the rest of the run felt steady and great! I had a very pleasing pace for my first run back after a 2 week Christmas hiatus. Everything was great – a little over dressed, body was sore and aching, my chest hurt, but the run was fantastic!

So, the running continues. My running plan is put on hold until I can get back on track with the plan itself. In the meantime, I will just get out there and run. 😀

Not a day went by in the last two weeks I didn’t think about running. I was sad I was letting myself down but was happy with the other things I was doing with family and friends. On the plus side, I didn’t let this turn into a month of no running and I was still very mindful of what I was eating and how much I was eating. I let myself have what I wanted but didn’t over do it. I hope you have been giving into your indulgences, you’re allowed! 🙂

Tuesday, December 31st is quickly approaching. Only 3 more days to the resolution run… It’s not on January 1st so it’s really a year-end run for me as I see it. A celebration of all that I have accomplished this year and getting ready for all the awesomeness in the new year!

Any who, hope you’ve been better than I and been running in the wonderful Winter season!

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination. – Roy L. Goodman

December 15 Run: 45:17 (mm:ss), 5.47 km, 8’16″/km

Woah woah woah, let’s cover one thing with this pace, I was running in snow and my watch kept telling me I was running at 5’s and 6’s the whole time!! Not to fret though, I got out and completed my run after skipping the run on Friday night. I’ve been sick the last two days – not cold sick from the weather but bathroom sick which means no rapid movement allowed. Sorry if that was too much info for you.

Anyways, I got out to do the Friday run I had missed today since I felt a little better, my stomach is still not 100% back to normal but I managed. We got hit here with a LOT of snow and I’m sure all my fellow runners in Southern Ontario know what I mean since this is our first “Major” snowstorm of the season. According to the news we got hit with 25-30 cm of snow yesterday. My run today was wonderful. Very very tough but wonderful. This challenge was different from any other I have done as the issue was not with breathing or wind, it was with pushing my legs to go harder and faster because the snow felt so packed and tough to move through. I ran on the roads (against traffic) since most sidewalks weren’t done yet. I had to do mine twice yesterday and again this morning twice…. Cars were very kind even if they gave me crazy eye. Thank you everyone who was out shovelling and clearing up the sidewalks as well as to those cautious drivers who didn’t honk at me 😀

No, this did not stop me from starting my run 🙂

Eventually I made a path… then made my way to the roads!

I was dressed well and had the weather on my side. No wind!! Or not a lot anyways. My second layer of socks were soaked when I got back from my run but I didn’t notice during my run so I’m happy about that. My gloves were a tad too warm and so was my fleece buff headband. I wore the same pants I mentioned in last post and they were greats. Legs stayed warm!! 😀 In the end, it was all wonderful!! Some fluffy snow dropped a little bit during my run, oh how much I loved it!! ❤ Some shovellers were looking at my like I was crazy and they looked pretty angry and miserable… Not sure why some people hate the snow so much and choose to live in Canada? 🙂

So, I’m one run behind and I will make it up. I haven’t decided if I’ll do 3 runs in a row or if I will just shift my runs down one. The current plan I am running is run every other day. I know I have procrastinated with putting it up so here it is: Run For Fat Loss. I’ve been slacking on cross-training as well and there’s no excuse but Christmas. Hopefully I can jump back on a full strength/cross-training plan again on my days off soon! Right now I just need my days off to work and get holiday stuff ready 😀

I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. –Thomas Edison

December 11 Run: 30:04 (mm:ss), 3.69 km, 8’08″/km

Tonight’s run was an interval run at high intensity with recovery walks (hence the slower pace). The stats show a total of 4.2 km on the treadmill (which included a 3 minute warm up and extra 3 minute cool down). This run was 3 minutes hard (5.6 mph) and 3 minutes easy (walk 3.7 mph) repeated 5 times. It’s the dreadmill, what can I say? I did the run but I look forward to Friday’s steady run outside (45 minutes). I have also noticed I did not run to plan on Monday (40 minutes instead of 45). I misread! That’s a bummer because I could have done the extra 5, the run was so good. There’s no point dwelling over it now, I’m just excited to run this Friday for the full 45 minutes. Hopefully it isn’t puking snow out since that’s what the weather is forecasting. I’ll take the snow but maybe just light enough that I can see and run in. 😀 Maybe the snow can hold off while I’m in my house after my run? Thanks God!

I will get back to enjoying the treadmill!! Maybe by January? I turned on my timer I was using last year for the treadmill tonight to use for my run and noticed I was running 11:1 (11 minute on and 1 minute off). WOAH! I can barely stay alive for 3 minutes on the treadmill without absolutely feeling like I’m going to face-plant. Can’t wait to keep training so I can love the treadmill again for those super cold days.

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. – Denis Waitley

Before getting into the details of today’s run, I’d like to extend my appreciation to all of you who send me your support, likes, and comments. Thank you Christine, runrchatts, Jane Likes to Run, and sophiesara for your support after my last post – I needed it and you definitely made me feel a whole lot better after hearing from you. This blog community, the running family, the togetherness, I love it and I cherish your for being a part of this.

December 9 Run: 40:10 (mm:ss), 5.32 km, 7’33″/km

Tonight was a steady run and I felt much more than steady. The sidewalks were very icy and wind was testing how grounded I could keep myself haha. It was -1°C feels like -9°C with winds jumping up to 26kmh from time to time. I had a fantastic run. I was careful, so careful that in my 20 minute walk after, I slipped more during my walk than I did during my run. I felt unstoppable and felt as if I was running very hard in the 6’s and low 7’s. I guess I wasn’t that fast since my overall is still 7’33″/km but that’s okay. I gave it my all tonight and am very proud of myself. I dressed well for the weather and was probably a little too warm.

For those of you who have been looking, I stumbled across a pair of winter pants that are amazing!! They happen to be cycling pants that were misplaced so I snagged them and tried them on, they’re amazing! Minus the fact that the different stitching and swatches of fabric bugged me a little bit (since the pants aren’t seamless), they kept my legs nice and warm!! What are these wonderful pants? They are from Mountain Equipment Co-Op and they have them in Mens and Ladies (don’t worry they don’t have the butt padding even though they’re cycling pants). I only decided to check out MEC since a running friend suggested their private label (MEC) items are more affordable than buying the Nike, Adidas, Saucony, etc. that I’ve been checking out. Check them out here for $75 in the ladies. Free advertising for MEC! Better than the $100+ on the bigger brands even though I do like Nike. Yes, I still can’t believe I spent $75 on a pair of tights either but they are so worth it now!!! I don’t even spend that much on jeans, haha.

My favourite thing about tonight’s run, hearing the snow and ice crunch beneath me. Every step I just felt super awesome! I love the winter and I love the snow, today was no different. I had a tough day at work spending the first 3 hours of my day fixing up errors and touching up all these issues that had nothing to do with my actual Monday tasks that I felt a little overwhelmed due to other people’s negligence. After a stressful day all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch but what I really wanted to do was run, so I decided I’d run to my plan and not skip it just because I had a lousy day at work.

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.– Ray Kroc

December 7 Run: 37:41 (mm:ss), 5.03 km, 7’29″/km

5k time on my watch was 37:31. The official chip time isn’t up yet; I didn’t even know it was a chipped run until I picked up my race kit. Check it out. The kit is pretty sweet. $40 and you get a full Santa suit, beards are mandatory during race time too!

I’m sure you probably want to see what it looks like on so I will save the photo at the end. 😀
The run was still tough for me, too cold (-4°C feels like -8 with some crazy with that really hurt your hands), then too hot with the beard, hat, and ensemble. My chest really hurt the whole time; guess my inhaler didn’t help as I started a new one today…. It was however snowing a little bit on and off during the run, those moments made me smile. I did feel like I was struggling and not enjoying the run as much as I had liked to and been expecting…. Maybe my hopes were too high and my mind was preoccupied.

After the race. I grabbed a water with runrchatts who joined me for this run and tried to pace me… We didn’t hang around for the free pizza, line was just too long. During the majority of the run, I felt awful seeing him in front of me, it looked like he was walking with a hop because he had to try so hard to go so slow at a “run” pace and I was still falling behind… I still really appreciate the support and sort of company, haha. Thanks for trying to run with me and being there!

I was really hoping this run would get me more into Christmas… I haven’t been feeling well health wise and been a little stressed with work… My tree isn’t up yet and the house has 0 signs that Christmas is even on its way! Seeing all the Santas and hearing the Christmas music did help but now I’m home feeling blue again…

This was supposed to be a fun run but now I’m really bummed out with how horrible I feel for being so slow. I came to terms with my speed but then races like this make me realize just how slow I am. Why does everyone ask about how fast how fast? Couldn’t it be enough that I got out there and was active? Maybe I’m not cut out to be a runner either! Anyways, enough with being negative nancy, here’s a fun photo of me before the race…

Like this:

Challenge yourself with something you think you can never do and you’ll find that you can do anything.

December 5 Run: 40:12 (mm:ss), 5.05 km, 7’57″/km

Fact: a snail is about 2.5 seconds slower than a turtle.

Yay! Running outside!!! I did a super long rectangular route and it seems both longer lengths (2 km each) were both uphill, haha. Is this possible? No biggie, I was a little slower but I am still tired from yesterday and my legs felt stiff but still super happy to get out for a steady run. I’m excited to take a rest day tomorrow before Saturday’s big run, the Santa 5k! I’m pretty excited! I’m sure I’ll be super sweaty running in a Santa suit with a beard and hat! It’s going to be so fun!

Hope you continue your running plans towards your goals! I know for me after this Santa race, I’ll be pushing myself to up my pace!

This treadmill run was actually set for 20 minutes at a 4.9 mph or 7’34” pace (total distance , 1.71 miles). It didn’t change but somehow my watch tells me different stats in terms of pace and distance. Oh how I hate the treadmill! I ran the treadmill because it was a tempo run today according to the plan. I really wanted to make sure I kept that tempo pace so I did the run on the treadmill. Thank goodness tomorrow’s run is a 40 minute steady run, aka outside run!! Yes, back to back runs because I skipped Tuesday’s run for a good reason: I got the opportunity to go to a Leafs game, how could I say no?! Well besides the fact that the Leafs only showed up for the second period, I still had a blast but a very late night.

Tonight I decided to review my treadmill run log from earlier this year just to figure how I was able to run 77 minutes (a little over 10k) straight in April on the treadmill?! I don’t even enjoy 20 minutes on it right now. I guess it doesn’t really matter; I now have almost all the gear I need to be running outdoors all winter long! Treadmill will only be for those specific pace/speed/interval runs on the plan until I learn to regulate my pace outdoors.

Today I got to run outside, how wonderful! The weather called for rain/snow forecast so I got up early to run before it hit – so early I didn’t even know what I was doing. The run felt a little more tough than usual. I was tired so I wasn’t sure what I was doing. This could have been because I didn’t take a rest day at all this week – I did cross/strength training on all of my days off of running (a minimum of 30 min cycling + exercises). However, my overall pace was still pretty decent so no disappointment here on that side. I did notice my chest hurting a bit again the last 10 minutes of my run, it may be time to get a refill on my puffer. Good to know it is helping!! 🙂

I’d like to take a moment of your time as you read this and strongly recommend you watch this video (less than 2 minutes). This is one ad that every person in this world needs to watch. At least every North American does, based on our “health” statistics. If you haven’t had seen this video by Designed to Move – a campaign by Nike but not advertised as Nike, so please watch it.

This video speaks volumes to me and I am just shocked that it came out in 2012 and I just discovered it. One of the reasons I run that I haven’t shared is for my kids. I don’t have children right now but I think about the family I want and in 10 or 20 years when I am out with my wonderful husband and happy children, I want to be able to play with them and be a good example of someone who is healthy and active. This video scares me as if I don’t make better life choices now to create healthier habits, I will pass these bad/lazy habits onto my children. When I retire, I want to be able to snowboard, run, and golf every day! Please share this video and continue to blog about how you are being a healthier you. All of your blogs – especially the moms out there, who are balancing work, family, and running, you’re my inspiration. I hope you continue to inspire others as well. Thank you!

Please click on the image to see a full infographic from Designed to Move. This is very educational and provides some insightful information.

Today was a speed training run, aka treadmill run. 5 minute warm up, 10 minute fast (5.6 mph), 5 minute walk, 10 minute fast run (5.6 mph), and a 3 minute cool down walk. I only tracked my actual run duration plus the one walk interval in between. Very very very tough run again. My chest hurt and my arms were grasping on the treadmill every moment I let them. On the plus side, I did run both 10 minute intervals straight at 5.6 mph.

This is how I felt.

Nonetheless, I am happy to have run this Friday evening. A coworker brought in doughnuts today, how could I say no?! I’m the one with the sweet tooth. I kindly said thank you but no thank you…. Then caved after a few jokes and indulged in a 320 calorie doughnut! I know life isn’t about counting calories but being aware of what I am injecting into my body and limiting it to what I need vs want is important since I’d like to lose some weight. I’m clearly not going to lose weight by giving in so easy. Sometimes though, you have to give in and indulge yourself, every now and then. So what’s the big deal that I had a snack that consumes more than my daily sugar intake and is equivalent to the calorie level of my regular lunches? It’s a big deal. I felt guilty the moment I took a bite! I enjoy my fruits so much, that’s all the sugar I need! I could have had my orange instead, which I did later on… I think my eyes and taste buds wanted the doughnut more than I actually did because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Here’s to saying NO next time and no guilty feelings!

I’m excited my next run is a steady run, this means outside!!! Yay!

Here’s to giving into those craving you truly want every now and again, here’s to saying no to those we don’t really want but think we do. Be strong!

Today’s run was a steady run which means outside running!! Yay!! I should have been a little faster but I chose to run outside since it wasn’t a speed/interval run. Yes, I chose to run in -5°C weather (feels like -11°C). I didn’t care too much for pace, (I barely looked at my watch), as long as I achieved the run goal of 40 minutes at a steady pace I would be happy. My heart rate monitor says I exerted a steady flow of effort (even though my pace jumped around a bit) which is good because I did slow down a bit going uphill against wind at a few legs of my run. I am very happy with today’s run except for making the wrong turn. I made an early right turn and missed an entire section I had mapped out prior to my run so I had to make a loop back around to complete the time. Besides being a little frustrated with not knowing where I was going in the dark, I had a wrist light and was just happy to be out. I stayed calm and just continued to run until I hit a major street. A calm run meant a very peaceful and happy run. I am so glad I chose to go outside – I hope you do too.

My legs were cold!! Burr!! I couldn’t feel my toes until 15 minutes into the run – they were tingly and numb but I didn’t mind. I dressed well upper body, just need some better running tights. Any recommendations for below 0?
I love the winter! Running over snow and treading carefully over ice patches made me feel like a champion!

I hope you’re enjoying the crisp weather as much as I am! White hot chocolates, scarves, toques, mitts, snow, and now running!!! 😀

Today I didn’t run outside not only because I was a chicken of how cold it is when it’s pitch black outside, but because I had a speed training session to complete. I’ve been told that once the temperature drops, it’s not ideal to be doing speed training (rapid bursts of high intense running with low intensity cool down periods). I guess the body just doesn’t enjoy warming up and cooling down repeatedly when the temperatures are below 0. Oh and I got a new toy I wanted to test out today while being indoors, a heart rate monitor to go with my Nike+ GPS Sportwatch.

November 25 Run: 30:05 (mm:ss), 3.69 km, 8’09″/km

This run is a 3 minute speed pace run (6’38″/km or 5.6 mph) and 3 minute low intensity pace (ranged from 3.5 to 4.4 mph) repeated 5 times. My low intensity should have been around an 8’20″/km (4.4 mph) but most of my low intensity intervals were at a brisk walk pace around 10:30″/km (3.5 mph). No biggie. I am just happy I was able to hit the speed intervals for the full 3 minutes each time at the right pace I needed to on a treadmill! This is my first time really doing a run like this (following a specific speed training pace within a regular run plan). I’ve done interval running but nothing to push myself to the max each interval. The treadmill is very tough; maybe because the image in front of my treadmill makes me dizzy, maybe it’s the visibility of all the numbers and counting down the work out instead of getting lost with nature, or maybe I’m just a big wimp.

I am feeling a little overwhelmed, reading too much about running, getting too many conflicting ideas/work out plans, and just so much to process and decipher, it’s information overload! Don’t get me wrong, EVERY LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION HELPS!!! I really enjoy reading your blogs and your opinions. It’s more reading articles and speaking to other runners where I don’t quite feel like I belong. I just haven’t grasped everything everyone is always talking about. I feel I’m still struggling too much for how much time and effort I have put in. In no means am I asking you to stop commenting or sending me messages!! PLEASE KEEP PROVIDING ME HELP!!! Every piece of information is important. I treat each item like gospel and that could be my issue – trying to achieve everything because there’s so much good out there!

Any-who, if you have a good suggestion on figuring out your ideal Heart Rate while running or a site you can send me to, that’d be just fantastic! I’ve found a few online but was just wondering what should be my real guide? What do you use?

Hope you’re off to a good start to the week.

Happy Running!

rundmach

P.S. Yesterday, I was a little bummed out all morning; in a bit of a funk you’d say. Why? Because my plan didn’t call for running yesterday!! What’s up with that? No run on a Sunday? Well I fixed that up with some cross-training later in the day to make up for it (cycled and did various mini workouts).

If you wait for the perfect weather conditions, you’ll never get anything done.

Today marked the first real snowfall where I live. What better way to celebrate than to go outside for a run?

November 23 Run: 30 min steady, 3.94 km, 7’38″/km

If you’re new to my blog, or may have forgotten from last year, I LOVE SNOW! I love to snowboard and I love the winter season. I have not been able to mix my love for winter with my love for running but today I did this. Today, I had one of my happiest runs I have had in a very long time. My 30 minute run at a steady pace was at just about the right speed I had to be (none of this treadmill nonsense). There was half a km uphill against 32 km/hr winds where I slowed down to about 8’40″/km but come on, Uphill and Against the wind, I didn’t care as long as I was still moving. I felt pretty awesome running against that wind and in snowfall (which didn’t last the entire run; it was on off snow). Near the end of my run, the snow really started falling hard and I couldn’t help but have the biggest grin on my face as I was finishing my last 4 minutes. I swear, there was a lady walking by me with her groceries in one hand and other hanging onto her hood to keep from blowing away, stared me down and thought I was crazy for being so happy running in the snowfall.

Breathing was awesome during this run too. I didn’t struggle finding my breath, my chest didn’t hurt, I loved absolutely every minute of my run. It was 0°C (felt like -6°C). I was worried I’d be under dressed but my top was probably a little too heavy as I was pretty sweaty but now I know better. I am so excited to run more in the cooler weather!!!! I do wish I had more chanced to run in day light other than on weekends but I am content with this.

I’d also like to welcome back fellow blogger runrchatts who came out to run 30 minutes with me today! His run plan required him to run 4 km steady, so we both started at the same time and I took an earlier turn for a shorter loop and he went on. After about 25 minutes he caught up to me, not very shocked but very happy 🙂 I met him at the end where he finished his 4 km and I finished my 30 minutes.

I wish I had been able to capture the beauty of the snowfall while I was out but I don’t run with my phone so no pretty pictures. I hope you got to enjoy your day today and get to embrace the winter!

Okay, so my last post I said who cares how slow I go as long as I go. Yes, I still believe that but I also don’t believe that I should be running THIS slow on a treadmill. I’ve never had a run at this pace and still feel I was running. I’m really hating the treadmill right now seeing that I am running 2 minutes slower per km than I am outside and it feels just as tough!! It’s a little depressing seeing on fitness trackers that doing 9 minutes per km is a brisk walk pace and I’m actually running at that pace. Huh?!

So here it is, who cares how cold it is or going to get or how dark it gets, I am running outside!! I will invest and put some money into stupid expensive winter running gear and be prepared. There’s no good routes to run when it’s dark here because the paths are not lit at all. The streets are short and boring but I bet they’re more enjoyable than on the treadmill!! I will figure this out and get outside to complete my runs!

Here’s to wishing happy runs for all of us! 🙂

rundmach

P.S. I completed my cross training again yesterday as per plan with some boxing, stationary cycling, and various strength training exercises.

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.Never expect less of yourself!

November 17 Run/Walk: 40:01 (mm:ss), 5.15 km, 7’46″/km

Today, I completed another 5K outside running 4 minutes and walking 2 minutes. Despite the Wind Warnings and risk of thunder showers all day, I went outside and took advantage of the 12°C cloudy weather. If I don’t run both days during the weekends, I lose running during daylight. I expected today to be slow and painful but somehow, today was much better of a run all around compared to yesterday. I didn’t over dress, I was confident, I was sore but faster, I didn’t feel like my chest hurt as much, a lot more runners outside as well, and overall I enjoyed the run much more!

Trying to keep my blog posts short so I’m not ranting and rambling soooo….
I’m so happy to have gone for a run today and hope you’re enjoying your day too 🙂

Today’s routine, Run 4 walk 2. Huge challenge. How’d I run for over an hour straight earlier this year ? Oh right, I was 10 pounds lighter… I’m not ready to stop running even if it’s once or twice a week. Well here’s to keeping my spirits up and continuing to find ways to push myself and make time!

I did run outside today because it was so beautiful out today here!! Scenery, 100x better than the treadmill. 🙂

Like this:

I don’t even know where to begin. It seems I’m always cycling back to writing this message. I appologize in advance as this may come off as a very negative post but it is not, I just need to vent a little. I’m sorry I have not been running or blogging or following your blog. I’m sorry to myself and feel ashamed to consider myself a runner. I am no runner. It has been almost an entire month since my last run. I made every excuse possible to not run. It’s too cold, it’s too dark, I’m in another province (Wahoo, my eldest brother got married and I was away for over a week), etc, etc, etc.

November 10 Run: 35:49 (mm:ss), 4.07 km, 8’47″/km

These stats are based on my Nike+ GPS SportsWatch. I did my first run of the season on my treadmill this morning. I have finally put it together, since moving to my new home back in June, with the support of a great friend. The treadmill stats say I ran less but faster so I’m not even sure what to believe anymore. I’ll stick to the GPS watch as that will be the one constant that will follow me when I do run outdoors.

Mentally, I always want to run and I always feel like it’s the one thing that’s missing in my day. So how is it that I don’t do it and come up with all these excuses? Am I that weak mentally to not be able to push myself? Even today’s run, I followed the treadmill’s running plan to Run hard for 30 seconds (between a 6-7.4 mph pace) and jog/walk for 90 seconds (between 3.9-5 mph pace). My pace for today overall was ridiculously slow. However, I’m not upset about this at all, it is my first run in almost a month! I am just disappointed with always feeling sorry for myself and disappointed I keep finding excuses. What’s wrong with me? I want to do this!! It is tough when I do it, I can’t breathe right still but I love doing it. I love writing my blog and following your blog for inspiration, yet I’ve fallen behind on that as well. If I love to do something so much why do I keep myself away from it? Okay, I get it, I’m just ranting now and need to stop.

On other news, there’s only 4 more weeks until the Santa 5K!!! I’m excited to do this fun run for myself. It feels a little odd not doing fundraising or a charity support on this. It will be fun and probably super cold! If you have a suggested 5k run plan for 4 weeks (or 7 week to the 5K Resolution Run on December 31st), please send it over (dmach88@gmail.com)!! I’m looking to increase my speed as I was running a 5K in around 36-38 minutes. I’d like to be running at the average speeds around 30-35 minutes for a 5k but can’t seem to get myself there. Do you have any good plans?

I’ve been thinking about so many things to write but here I am expressing to you my shame with how I have one again fallen off the tracks. I’m not disappointed with my run today, I am disappointed with all the runs I didn’t do. I was in one of the most beautiful places during my vacation for my brother’s wedding, Banff (where I’d like to retire one day and Canmore, where his wedding actually was). I even brought my running shoes and all my “cold” weather running gear. I did not run. 😦

This post could go on for pages about how disappointed I am and how many runs I have missed; but, I’ll leave it at, I am still very happy with my life and enjoying everything else in my life. Work is a challenge as always and I have not made enough time for my friends but what I do get to do and what I choose to do every day, I am Happy. I need to make more time and create more energy. 🙂

I will end this post with a question to you all, what are your limits? When do you decide it is treadmill time? Is it because it’s pitch black outside by 5 PM before you even leave work, is it when it falls below 0 degrees celsius? How do you find motivation to run outside? (I want to run outside!! The treadmill was good and comfortable because I was warm, but nothing like being outdoors).

Today was a very long day at work! There’s a lot going on with my work life that I can’t really share online, so just know that I wish I could vent but need to be professional. I am very conflicted by a lot of my thoughts and passion with my work life right now… In hopes of relieving stress, I went to run tonight after getting home, I was so frustrated and angry, there was nothing else I wanted more than a good run. (Also one of my poor fishes died this morning before I went to work. 😦 )

October 15 Run: 36:49 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’20″/km

I did indeed have a really good run! I could have go a few more KMs I feel but it was getting quite dark (aka scary) outside. I really needed the therapy but it was very challenging; I kept straying back to work thoughts and getting upset. Eventually, the last KM was when I finally let go and just pushed myself to run, finishing the last KM in 6 minutes and 34 seconds!! It really is true, when I push myself, I can run a lot faster! I did however run in intervals today: 8 minutes on, 1 minute off for the first 27 minutes then did a straight run to finish 5k.

Is it true then? Running intervals is the way to go and get faster? How do other runners just run and never stop but keep increasing pace? I need to do some more research!

It was tough not running over the weekend either! Last week I hurt my feet from work and had to spend most of Saturday in bed (couldn’t be on my feet at all); I won’t get you too caught up in it, I’m better now and that’s all that matters.

Like this:

I got up nice and early this morning to do a nice little 5k run. A little chilly! It was 8ºC (46ºF). I wore shorts and a long sleeve. Probably need to go the other way. Longer pants (kapris or full pants) and a t shirt. I could feel my skin crackling on my thighs, but it was a great feeling! What do you wear when it gets to 0ºC? I know the rule to always dress 10 degrees warmer than the actual temperature, but really, when do I start pulling out the gloves and headband to cover my ears?

October 9 Run: 39:46 (mm:ss), 5.02 km, 7’55″/km

So, it was a little cool and I was running slow just to get the distance in but when I got to my last KM at around 33 minutes, I said I can’t finish a 5k in over 40 minutes so I kicked it up a notch. I finished my last km in 6 minutes 31 seconds!!!! Well, I guess it’s true, when you set our mind to something, you can do it! I need to keep pushing myself to be the best me I can and I won’t stop!

Since my last post, I have decided all my runs will have to be 5 k and if they aren’t then the following run will be increased by the difference. Let’s say tomorrow I run 3 km, then the following run will have to be 7 km! This will hopefully get me to the 1000 km goal in a shorter time 🙂 .

In an earlier post in September, I mentioned wanting to sign up for more runs before the year is over. I have now officially signed up for two runs in December!!

December 7: Santa 5K – Everybody has to be in the Santa costume that comes in your race kit to participate!
December 31: Resolution Run

These two runs are more fun runs for myself. These will most likely be done in snow! I could already see my breath all morning during my run and even fogged up my own glasses sometimes, haha. I’m excited to be part of these two runs as it will really push my limits and be a staple of how far I’ve come from not running to running in the Canadian Winter!!! 😀

I hope you remember to take some time to reflect on your success in running and in life. If you haven’t, take some time and reflect, you’re a wonderful human being and you’ve come a long way, be happy and be proud of your success and how far you’ve come in life.

I hope you all had a successful weekend! I have two updates to post for this weekend a few other notes to share.

October 5 Run: 27:04 (mm:ss), 3:31 km, 8’11″/km

October 6 CIBC Run for the Cure: 38:00 (mm:ss), 5.41 km, 7’01″/km

Saturday. Let’s cover Saturday’s run first. I CAVED and had to get out for a run. My last run was Tuesday and by Saturday I was dying to run again and just couldn’t wait until Sunday so I let myself outside and said I’d do 3 KMs and at a very very slow pace. I accomplished this and felt better than ever. I was sooo happy I gave myself this run. After a run early in the morning and a late night getting in from my first ever NHL Hockey game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to watch the Leafs’ home opener vs the Ottawa Senators, I called it a night at about 1 AM. I don’t stay up late so this made me worry a little bit about having to run the next morning.

Top right is pre run and bottom left is post run.

Sunday Morning. Not a problem! Let’s wake up and shower (yes my pre-race routine includes a shower). Off we go. Running for a Cure, my friend and I did the run to raise money for a better future for all of our breasts. Our team raised $680!! This makes me very happy!! I hope one day we can find a cure for cancer (and breast cancer). The atmosphere, energy, and support of everyone at this venue was incredible. I loved all the kids and the spirit that was there!! This is definitely a run I want to continue to do every year for as long as I am alive. I am happy that I am running and continue to run for a cause.

The Run. This is my second time doing this run. My first was my first ever race last September – this was a Big Day for me. It was last year and it is again this year. It marks my progress over the last year. I finished the 5k run almost 2 minutes faster! Although I luckily wasn’t sick this year and gained a bit of momentum from that, I did learn a lot about myself and being a runner in the last year. The Route had changed due to construction and instead of 5k it was 5.4km! What a bummer.. By the time I realized this, I was 150m away from 5k so I gave it my all to try to hit my 35 minute goal… The finish line was actually much further away so I didn’t realize I had to empty the tank earlier than where the finish line actually was. I was unsuccessful at this and finished 5K in 35:19. Although I finished with a group of Warriors around age 9 – 11, it’s not too shabby. I’m getting better!! I did run nonstop and tried to pace my friend but she drifted off after about 1.5km in; I did get to finish, walk back and run through the finish line with her again; that felt great being able to see her push through and destroy her 5k time! Can’t wait to see her progress in a year when we run this again next year. 🙂

More Happiness. Today’s 5k also marked my 500 km recorded on Nike +! That’s pretty awesome that I’ve run over 500 km as of today. I cannot wait to destroy this and get to 1000 km in even less time and less number of runs. This is definitely a huge milestone for me and I’d like to give a shout out to runrchatts for beating his first 500 km on Nike+ too! He also wore a pink ribbon today while he did his run for his half-marathon training. Thanks for the support 🙂

Other Notes. This will be my last fundraising efforts for 2013. I thank everyone who had supported me/the cause I have been raising awareness for. I know I have exhausted all of you, my friends, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving what you can. In the next two months I am looking forward to volunteering and getting hands on with helping before I start to look at fundraising again in the new year. I do also have two other runs I plan on signing up for but those are both fun (non chipped timed) runs that I’ll be doing more for myself. I love to run and I think adding in some runs just for the experience and joy will be great to add to the list of my race history. I feel that over this weekend I have had so many thoughts I wanted to blog about but as I’ve run out of time and left blogging to Sunday night before bed, I am scrambling with those thoughts… I will update you with any further notes I may have throughout the week as I continue to run. Thank you for reading, following, liking, commenting, and supporting me. Thank you for being you and awesome!

Tonight’s run was a time to pace my friend who has decided to join me again in running. If you recall My First Post, my friend was unable to continue running as she got shin splints, ouch! Well, I’m happy to welcome her back into running. She joined our team for the Terry Fox run and her and I are a team for the CIBC Run for the Cure run as well.

October 1 Run: 22: 22:58 (mm:ss), 3.06 km, 7’30″/km

Just on pace!! It was very hard trying to pace at this speed. I found myself going too fast or too slow a lot, but eventually thought I found a happy medium. After plugging in my watch it looks like I was still fluctuating all over the place but kept an average at exactly where we wanted. I did feel super comfortable running with her and focussing on her running over mine. I could actually get out sentences without sounding like I’m going to die. So, is this because I’ve switched my focus or because the last few runs have been spent focussing on increasing my pace?
It doesn’t really matter, I’m just happy with tonight’s run!

It was a long long long day at work and pretty overwhelming doing a lot of requests and not getting to my own work. I think she had the same kind of day as we sit right next to each other at work. The run, the perfect therapy! Not to mention the veggie sushi rolls we had pre run. Yum!

My question for all of you, how do you keep a steady pace? I use a watch and still can’t maintain very well.

Whether you’re running alone, with a friend, or in a group, I hope you’re running happy! 🙂

I’m not on a running plan right now but I know most runners do their long runs on Sunday which should now be known as Runday going forward! If Subway can rename the days of the week to chicken teriyaki , so can runners!!

Today’s a busy day and I wanted to make sure I got a run in even if it meant running early and my body wouldn’t be fully recuperated from last night’s run… I got up and headed out.

September 29 Run: 25:22 (mm:ss), 3.41 km, 7’26″/km

After reading a bunch of inspiring blogs this morning, I set out to complete 5k after discovering the Automattic’s World Wide WP 5K from Striding Toward’s Life. It’s pretty neat how the blogging community comes together and the running community is so strong.

As you can see by my results, I didn’t achieve 5k today. These aren’t excuses but just plain truths. My body was definitely still tired from yesterday, my body felt so foreign to me as I tried to push myself. That caused me to run a little bit slower, but no big deal, just cover the distance. Then this happened… Over my last few runs I’ve been feeling like my left shoe is tied too tight as the top of my foot is hurting quite a bit once I start running. Today, I virtually tied a knot at the end of the laces and my foot still hurt!! By about 2k I realized, it’s not the shoe that’s too tight, it’s my foot!! I could feel my foot ripping apart. Oh no!! What was I going to do? It hurt so bad today I actually stopped to walk but then I had to completely stop when walking caused the lower arch of my foot to hurt. What was I to do? The top hurt the most while running… after a minute I just said okay let’s keep going and see how it feels, by the time I looped around the corner and got closer to home. I decided that I would just run my way home and call it a day, after all I did get in my 5k yesterday but I really wanted to get the 5k in today for the love of running! I kept pushing… then realized, I need to be smart, I need to listen to my body, if my foot is saying stop, I should stop. So I got home, grabbed some water, and went for a walk to cover the rest of the distance. When I walk, there’s no pain. The last thing I wanted to do is hurt myself before next Runday’s CIBC Run for the Cure 5k charity run.

The results, Falling for the Best will be my contribution to the wwwp5k! I don’t run with a camera phone or anything so I couldn’t take a photo of my run but I’m excited to use yesterday’s run as it was a personal best in the last little bit. It was a very successful run and I’m glad I did it and happy I can put it towards the wwwp5k.

I hope you remember to listen to your body! It’s good to push and strive for greatness but sometimes, you do just need to step back and take a breath, it doesn’t mean you’re quitting or giving up, you’re just building up more energy to destroy the next run!

Tonight was going to be an “easy” run to do a 5k since I’ve been pushing to up my speed the last two runs. Well, I just did my fastest 5k since early May of this year. Woohoo!!! I’ll always take a win. Today was a test and practice run to pace myself. I set the first 3k as the standard to just run a slower steady pace with no walk breaks, between 6’40” to 7’00″/km. I don’t know how people can pace so well?? I just run! My breathing is still super hard and I’m sure all the passer-bys are wondering if I need an ambulance. I noticed today as I was trying to train myself to pace, (can’t rely on my watch, especially at night when it’s so dark out), no matter how fast or even slow I moved my legs, my breathe was the same. It was hard and heavy but I added one then two more steps in the same breathing count and the breathing was the same but my legs could move faster, or slower. So what’s my problem? I don’t think I know how to breathe…. I’m breathing in and out trying to use my stomach and inhaling through my nose and out my mouth… No dice, I’m still struggling to get air in at the same rate, no matter how hard I’m moving the rest of my body.

Well, regardless of not being able to keep a steady pace, I completed 3k straight in about 21 minutes, walked a minute, ran 900 meters, walked a minute, and completed the run as strong as I could. I am so proud of myself for the time I did run. This gives me so much hope with how much faster I can actually run and how much more I can continue to push myself!!!

Although this is not a PR or anything, it feels like a personal best, at least it is for the last 4 months!! This fall season feels great for running with cooler temperatures and great inspiration surrounding me to be the best version of me I can be. Only one more week until the CIBC Run for the Cure! Hopefully my 50/50 raffle and fundraiser raffle for a day off at work will drive in some dollars for the cause.
Can’t wait to beat some actual personal records and continue to help drive change in the world!

I’d like to believe I’m a runner… not the elite but somewhere in that breed!!

Hi there,

I’m just logging in my run so this will be short.

September 25 Run: 20:03 (mm:ss), 3.01 km, 6’39″/km

YES!! My goal today was to run 3 km in under 20 minutes (6’40″/km pace), I think I did it?!!! My Nike+ says I did the 3k in 19:58, Wohoo!!

As I’ve been mentioning my, 30 Day Challenge, check out that link!! I’ve just finished day 15 and my legs feel great, arms are still a little weak and doing push ups is a challenge but that’s why it’s the 30 Day Challenge!!

This run was a planned experiment. It did happen a lot later in the day than I had hoped but it happened and I’m glad it did. After talking about my slow pace for so long, I decided, why aim for the 5k every run, why not shorten it down to a more “intense” run, let’s see what I can really do. My fastest ever 5K I had completed in 34 minutes (that’s 6’46″/km), I am now ranging around the 38 minute mark, how does one get slower? Well, it’s not for the lack of trying I can tell you that. This has got to be mental and some physical.

Today’s test, Run as fast as I can for 1KM, walk 1 minute, run the next km as fast as I can, walk 1 minute, and run the last 800 meters the fastest I can. Goal was to do 3k as fast as I can.
Well, who knew, I ran this in a pace that is an entire minute faster than my currentaverage pace. Not to mention, the 1st KM I ran in a minutes, that’s huge for me!! That means if I can add distance to my average speed today, I can knock out that 34 minute, 5k, from May and run at the speeds I was earlier in the year – Maybe I’ll even hit running under 6 minute km’s like I did last year… Where did all my speed go?

Another part of this experiment was to test my breathing and my chest/heart… Well, it turns out the harder I push my legs, the same rate my heart beats and same breathing patterns: I’m still breathing hard and heavy, my heart is still pumping as hard as every, but my legs just keep going. It was an 8 minute to walk home and my heart was still going but the cool down walk was very nice.

I know I have gained some weight since last year (actually about 10lbs), so it’s fair to say that my speed would slow down. But, after all of this, I’m drawing the conclusion that it has to be mostly mental. I’ve got a new plan, run less but run harder. Not always but maybe every other run or once a week. Then add more distance each time, just a little bit. I will still have those slow & steady runs of course. I’m going to look into some more detailed 5k run plans and see if those can help build up my endurance and speed.

The next run is in 2 weeks; it is the very first 5k event I ever did (last September – The Big Day!). I can’t wait to run this again even though the route has changed a little bit due to construction. I was sick last year but I motored on and got through it in less time than I can run 5k now!…… This year, I plan on being in good health and will hopefully run a PR!!!

Today I went for a run in the morning before work, sometime around 6:30 am.

September 19 Run: 40:05 (mm:ss), 5.03 km, 7’58″/km

Although today’s run was slower on time and tough on my chest, I enjoyed the run as always. Something odd was happening with my chest, no breathing but just a bad aching pain. Besides that, the rest of the run was great. The crisp morning air was so refreshing!

I also didn’t get a chance to blog this morning and I felt a little off all day at work; all I wanted to do today was blog. Now I feel like I’ve forgotten everything I wanted to say ad share… Oh well. Maybe next run/blog will be a bit more inspirational.

What’s that?! 10K non-stop, that’s right!! I didn’t stop, I may have slowed down to an 8 km per hour pace at one point but I didn’t stop and I even ran an extra 200 metres pass the finish to hit the full 10k!!

HUGE HUGE HUGE Thank you goes out to runrchatts, CJ, and CF for coming out and running with me!!! My pace is pretty slow but it’s good training for them 😉 . They never left my side and just kept running with me. This made a HUGE difference. For CF this is her first 5K of straight running, awesome!! Those new shoes paid off!! (Don’t worry readers, she wore them in before the first run today, 🙂 ). To achieve this 10K means a lot and having these guys and gals next to me is just so amazing! Big shout out to Nick @ Striding Towards Life for dedicating 10K today to Terry Fox and really running for all the children and all the people affected by cancer. We also had another team member run at a location closer to his home, he did his first 6km run, ever! He also did it in 25 minutes; amazing!!! Thanks MD for joining in on the team! 🙂

This was my ultimate goal I set out last year from not running to being able to run this particular 10k straight for charity, I did it. This feels incredible!!! Our team raised $335 for The Terry Fox Foundation!!! Cancer better watch out because there’s going to be a cure and it’s going to get it’s butt kicked out of this world!

If you’ve never heard of Terry Fox, check out The Terry Fox Story – this original movie from 1983 is great. You could also see the newer Terry film from 2005 for a bit of a different more recent retelling of his story and journey. Both are very inspirational movies I’d recommend you watch.

There were moments I wanted to stop and walk, moments where I said to myself it was okay to walk, but in the end, those thoughts were pushed out with, it’s not okay, Terry did a marathon a day with one leg and he didn’t do it for himself! I did it!!! I just kept running and running. Now to keep running and maybe get to a half marathon one day? Slow and steady!! It is no shock any more how slow my pace is compared to most other runners, but especially today, this is not a race. This is all about me and if I do a half marathon (21.1 k / 13.1 m) in 2 1/2 hours or even 3 hours, I will be soooo stoked for finishing.

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start”- J. Bingham

I am definitely left speechless with how supportive everyone has been on this journey and how incredible I feel. It’s beyond a runner’s high, it’s happiness and bliss. I am loving life and everything it has to offer.

” I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try.” – Terry Fox

Can’t wait for more wonderful journeys to share with you and a healthier, happier life 🙂 .

Tonight I have a few other thoughts to share with you, so the running bit will be short.

September 12 Run: 39:56 minutes, 5.03 km, 7’56″/km

A little slower than the last run but it was still challenging and felt amazing! It’s down to 16°C (61°F)!!!! It’s not 40°C any more!! Yay!!! With that being said, the run felt soooooooo good. I thought I was steady and quick; apparently my time says otherwise, but I loved tonight’s run. I am happy with it and glad I have done it. 3 days to 10K!

Yesterday, I started a 30 day challenge. Similar to all the ones you may find on-line, I’ve drafted my own 30 day challenge to include: push-ups, squats, sit-ups, hip raises, leg raises (single and double), and planks. The biggest challenges here will be starting day 1 at 50 squats & 10 push ups and ending day 30 with 250 squats and 75 push-ups. I’m really excited as day 2 is over and I already feel more confident in doing the push-ups, planks, and squats. I’m stoked to get to the end of the 30 days and be able to do 250 squats!!! It’s getting late here and I want to cover another topic before I end this post so I will post the 30 day challenge as soon as I find time to type it up.

THE TERRY FOX FOUNDATIONI am so happy to share with you that so far we have raised $285 for The Terry Fox Foundation, with another $50 on its way from left over payments from the Silent Auction Fundraiser. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You to everyone who has supported this cause and my team with your words or encouragement and donations. To the anonymous donors to those joining me in this journey to some how complete 10K on Sunday, Thank you!

“I want to set an example that will never be forgotten” – Terry Fox

I am absolutely touched by the bloggers and followers and friends who support me day in and day out. I look forward to your stories for encouragement and for strength when I feel like I have nothing left to draw inspiration from and want to give up. You give me hope that there is still a lot of good in the world.

To every reader out there, I wish you all the happiness in the world that your heart can manage.

Only one week left to the next charity 10 k – The Terry Fox Run. I’m no where close to being able to run 10 k straight through but I will complete 10 k no matter what!

September 8 Run: 37:42 minutes, 5.07 km, 7’26″/km

Today was a much better run! RunRChatts came out and we did the run together. It’s been a while and although I’m sure I’m too slow for him, I was running much faster than I normally do trying extra hard to keep up. Even though I can’t really speak when I’m running (which I know means I’m running too hard) and I have headphones on, the company means a lot. I’m glad he came for a run with me.

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler and running is a little easier, have you been signing up for races? I’m trying to but am finding it hard to commit. For whatever reason, I really want to be running with others and am finding it difficult in getting support. I’m not asking for others to run at my slower pace, but just to have a group at the end who would wait for me and we can all celebrate our success together. Do I need to join a running group to meet running friends or get some encouragement? It’s not that I’m trying to come off as weak and can’t do things by myself, I’d just like to be able to celebrate the wins of finishing a race at the end with someone other than myself. Plus, signing up for races sets goals and targets that I have to hit. I can’t be so wishy washy about running since there are actual finish lines to cross.

There are quite a few runs and races I want to sign up for coming up:
October 6: CIBC Run for the Cure
October 20: Turkey Trot Trail Race (I’ve never even ran trail before?)
December 7: Santa 5K (Everyone has to dress as Santa, it’s part of your race kit!)
December 31: Resolution Run (THIS ONE IS A MUST!! I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS!)

So, if you’re in the area and would like to join me, please let me know if you plan on doing any of these runs, maybe we could meet up for a picture or just high fives.

Even if you’re not in the area, I wish you well in your runs and races coming up! 🙂
Happy Running!

For those of you following who’s in the US or Canada, I hope you’re enjoying the last long weekend of the summer. For those everywhere else, I hope you’re enjoying the weekend even if it is just a regular weekend for you.

I am off to a good start, run today and some weights. We will see what tomorrow brings. My back/left side is in a lot of pain right now. I’m not sure if it is due to the lack of stretching today or maybe I messed up with the weights today, but I’m in a lot of pain! I mean, sitting here not moving hurts! I don’t think it’s all from weights or lack of stretching because my side was already hurting when I was running today. The run wasn’t very tough, very hot yes but the pain was there for quite some time running. I tried stretching a lot while running but I guess that didn’t help. I got it massaged a little bit after working out too and that felt like it made the pain subside but once I stood up the pain started all over again. What’s up with this? I feel like walking is impossible! Sorry I’m just rambling and complaining about this pain but I really hope it goes away before laser tag tomorrow. I’m ready to zap down some kids! Haha.

Only 15 days left to the Terry Fox 10k! I am definitely not ready. Ideally I should have completed 10k now and start tapering down…. What taper?! I still haven’t hit 10k straight in a while, let alone 5! It’s a good thing this isn’t a competition instead it is about getting out there and doing something good. I will definitely train harder so I can one day hit a half marathon. I keep saying it’s the heat that’s keeping me back but it’s probably the humidity and stuffiness. Today’s run was 30% owe my side hurts, keep running, 65% focus on your breathing, steady, innnnnn, out, innnnnn, out, and 5% oh look at that over there or not thinking at all: the best thing and greatness in running – when you don’t even realize you’re running anymore and just loving life.

Like this:

I don’t even know where the rest of last week went after my last blog. Time just flew by with work.

August 26 Run: 31:42 minutes, 4.05 km, 7’50″/km

This was an awfully tough run. It was humid and muggy which means it was just that much harder for me to breathe. I am definitely still struggling with my breathing. It’s tough. Mentally, I thought I had 5k in the bag. From the start I felt aches and pains in spots I’ve never felt. Run them off, so I thought but the run back was just a struggle that stopping at 4 was a decision to protect myself from pushing myself too hard and risking an injury.

My thoughts through the run today were muffled by just focussing on my breathe and trying to find the right rhythm and getting enough air in. Mostly my thoughts would wander back to, am I running for time or running for a distance? Do I run and walk or run slower at a steady pace? I have been reading a lot on running this last year and have read articles that support and bash both of these topics. Which is it? Do I run to hit a certain distance or do I run to hit a specified time? Do I walk in-between? The more I thought and continue to think about this, does it matter? I’m running, that’s all that matters! Just keep running until I can’t run anymore!!! What about you? What do you set your running goals to?

I did not achieve the 10k distance today but the week isn’t over. It was a struggle to even get to 5. I broke my run up between the first five kilometers and the last three. Thought I was going to throw up a couple of times, luckily I didn’t. The success of tonight’s run is I tried a route I go by every day and think about those other runners I see, “Boy, I’m glad I don’t run this was, that hill up and down looks killer, and I’d have to do that once to pass it and another to get back home!” Well, as challenging as today’s run has been, I succeeded in running straight through the hill both times!! No walking! Woohoo! Oh and it’s the first time in a very long while since I’ve broken the 5k mark. A lot of work to get up to 10k again before September 15!

Anyways, keeping it short and sweet tonight, I hope you’ve been staying more active than I.

Remember, if you haven’t checked it out yet, please take a look at my Fundraiser or spread the word for me!

I’ve got brand new DC Shoes and they are new to this season!! Signature series DC Nyjah’s (size 10.5), Mike Mo’s (size 11), and Chris Cole (size 12) Shoes! All Brand new, with the box, and I’m taking bids! Or maybe a night out at the movies for two with two drinks and a popcorn to share?

At the end of the bidding, I will notify the winner who can pay in Cash, Cheques, e-Transfers, or direct donation (credit card or secured through PayPal) to the Platinum Stars will be accepted. All Shipping will be covered by me if I can’t get the product to you locally.

Please help me Spread the word!!

If you are not interested but may have some friends who could be, please send this to them, pin it or post it to your Instagram, Pintrist, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I need your help to raise money!! I’m not just asking for money but will ship you product for it and it’s all for a good cause.

I know I am grasping at straws here as I haven’t received much interest in my community but the blogging, running, and online community has never cease to amaze me. Please help spread the word! Maybe your kids or your friends would be interested? You never know what pinning this or sharing this Auction could do.

I know I’m blogging twice today but I just finished a run and I couldn’t NOT blog.

August 15 Run: 40:14 minutes, 5.31 km, 7’34″/km

A bit of experimentation going on today. Tried a different route in the neighbourhood with less elevation. Run felt MUCH better than the previous and I did it non-stop.

The real reason I am writing is that today I posted my new charity up and have already received great response (The Terry Fox Foundation – “Running” for a Cause). I am lost for words with some of the amazing donations I have received in product for my SILENT AUCTION, monetary, and emotional support. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Auction, please do. Even if you bid 10% of the value, you could win and I’d be ecstatic to have some more funds go towards the cause. Note a typo on the Auction form: If you win, you can pay in credit card – not just Visa. I will also cover all shipping costs.

Short and sweet as I hope you get to spend time reading my earlier post from the day.

I wrote about this event over a year ago to be my goal to achieve. It’s now official, I’m signed up and fully in fundraising mode!

On September 15, 2013, I will be taking part in the Terry Fox Run in its ongoing work to fund innovative and progressive cancer research programs. I very much hope you will consider joining the team (if you’re in Canada) or making a donation in support of my effort, confident in the knowledge that your kindness will impact the lives of so many people living with cancer.

This is a Walk, Run, or Wheel event with various distances (depending on the location). I encourage you to join our team, Platinum Stars and walk, run, or wheel to a better future. Distances range from 1k to +10k. A 5K walk takes on average less than an hour and less than 12 minutes to walk 1K. There are so many locations available across Canada: Burlington, Niagara on the Lake, St. Catherine’s, Hamilton x 3, Oakville, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and many more. You can sign up for an event in your local community but be part of the Platinum Stars!! There is no entry fee or minimum donation required. This is not a timed event. This is simply to raise money, awareness, and come together for a greater cause.

Whatever your ability, do this not only for yourself but for those in need. Spare 12 minutes or an hour of your time for a healthier future for you and those around you. If you’d prefer not to participate, please click here and make a donation to support the team.

In the words of Terry, “If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope .”

Terry Fox ran across Canada – ask any Canadian, he did it! Although the evidence suggest that he may not have completed his personal race, his spirit and determination has been ingrained into Canada and I believe Terry Fox completed his Marathon a day across Canada. A true Canadian Icon, Terry Fox has an amazing story; If you’d like to learn more about Terry Fox or The foundation please visit the LEARN MORE page. He was who I wrote my grade 3 Canadian Hero report on and I couldn’t be happier that each of you do support me on each of my journeys to help others. I am also ecstatic that I have made it this far in a year with your support and encouragement from not running at all to running 10K to support The Terry Fox Foundation.

For any donors or participants, I will be doing a raffle for prizes to everyone who’s contributing!!

Brand new items up for grabs in my new Silent Auction in efforts to raise funds includes: a West 49 Gift Card, Movie Passes, Nixon TPS Speaker, Red Star Deck, DC Shoes, a few Long Boards, etc. Check Out theSILENT AUCTION PART 1 HERE!! More items to come shortly!! PLEASE START BIDDING OR DONATING!! 🙂

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and continue to support me by following my blog, liking my posts, encouraging me to run, donating to the auction, donating to the charities I am raising awareness for, and believing in me!!

“It took cancer to realize that being self-centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others.” – Terry Fox

It’s Tuesday and I’m blogging! What? I got out and did a run on a Tuesday night, woohoo! Finally pushed myself after work, dinner, and off the couch!

August 6 Run: 39:15 minutes, 5.22 km, 7’30″/km
Today’s run was amazing! I never stopped to walk once today. I kept a steady comfortable pace and sped up or slowed down when I felt, but constantly pushing. Best run in a very long time. God was testing me for sure. i stepped outside and it started spitting. I didn’t turn around and walk up the drive way, I said, fine, I guess I will run in the rain instead. I went out with the intentions of doing 3k then changed my mind to 4k and ended up doing 5k! Could this be because I did the run at night? Who cares! I feel great!

I’d also love to thank everyone for their support. I know I keep saying it but I truly mean it. Your comments mean a lot, likes, and follows. Thank you for everything!

I am definitely loving life as I had a pretty rough day at work today. I feel like this is déjà-vu and the same time last year I let the same work problems get to me. It’s not so much work because I do love what I do, but the people… There are quite a few who are dedicated and love the culture we are in and have a passion for our company, but then there are obviously the ones who are there for a pay-cheque and just don’t fit in. It does get to me how some people can make it through a job when they blatantly don’t care. I won’t rant too much because it has flown on and I’ve left it outside with my footprints.

Today is a new week and today I take a provisional run. I’m away next Saturday and the chances that I wake up early to run at the cottage are slim to none. I’d also like to clock in a few more runs this week and get myself out of the once a week ritual.

August 4 Run: 39:19 minutes, 5.02 km, 7’50″/KM

WOAH! That’s some slow running but I did get through 5K and I’m super happy and proud of myself for that. My first KM was again my best at 6:46. Then it went all downhill from there, not literally through, I WISH! Literally, it was all uphill from there. These new paths I’m running have a lot of challenges for someone who is accustomed to flat runs. I never thought it would impact me so much, but it is tough! I’ve learned to try to think or focus on anything else when I get to an incline and just think step-step-step-left-right-left-right-etc. until I feel the path isn’t so challenging. I’m not making excuses for my slower times but this new neighbourhood has got me working that much harder! Any-who, it wasn’t too bad, I ran 1 KM, walked 1 minute, ran another KM, walked a minute until I was done the distance goal I had set.

Who cares what the pace is? I read that yesterday. It’s true, Pace is relative and I will set a realistic and challenging goal for myself each run. Whether it is to run 30 minutes or to run 5K, my goal is my focus. Pace is my own standard and not a comparison. I am at awe with all the other blogs and runners I am catching up on. I truly appreciate each and every one of you for reading my blog and sharing your stories. Your support and openness helps me be a better me. Thank you!

So, that’s two runs in two days, wohoo! Go Me!! I’ve also done a bit of off-road exercising with some dumbbells as well; yay, strength!

I am off from work today and tomorrow! Needed to take a mini vacation and here we are.
July 25 Run: 38:09 minutes, 5.01 km, 7’37″/km

I’d like to say this time off has been off to a wonderful start. Already got out for one run, hopefully another before Monday. Seems I am off to a great start on my runs in my new neighbourhood and then taper off. Stupid hills. My first km today was 6:06!!! It’s been a while since I’ve run at that pace but of course, I slowed down once the hills hit. I also ran at intervals today. 6 minute on, 1 walk, 5 run, 1 walk, then a series of 3 minute running and 1 minute walking until I hit 5 k at 38 minutes.

Some other greatness to share; my chest did not hurt the last two runs. This could be due to the inhaler or the heat wave leaving us. Or maybe it’s a combination of two. I still can’t breathe very well in terms of getting big enough breathes in so I’m struggling with huffing and puffing but the pain is gone, so that’s really good news for me! Super excited to run some more!!

I’ve also signed up for my next 10k and my charity, I’ll be posting about it more later one once I get some more info.

Here we are again, a week later and I’ve finally been able to clock in my me time to run.

As challenging as running is for me, it is still my favorite pastime.

July 21 Run: 36:03 min, 4.78 km, 7’34″/km

The run was sooooo much better. A good 17 degrees Celsius feeling like 23 only this morning. I can breathe again!! Sort of.. I used the inhaler and felt a bit better. No record speeds but did get a longer distance in this time around. I had a great run, 20 minute run, 2 minute walk, 6 minute run, 1 minute walk, 3 minute run, 1 minute walk, and 3 minute run. Then a big cool off walk after. Felt amazing!!! I’d also like to give a shout out to runrchatts for coming out and following my pace, you’re awesome!

What a beautiful Saturday morning it is here! I thought it was a lot cooler but it’s actually just the lack of humidity. It is 23°C and feels like 28. I still got out there, even if I chose to wear kapris instead of shorts… silly me…

July 13 Run: 21:43 minutes, 3.06 km, 7’05″/km

Wohoo, my speed went up a little bit from the last two runs but maybe that’s because I did a short run and it wasn’t so humid. 3K sounds like nothing compared to what I was able to push myself to so that is disappointing to feel that 3 kilometres has already kicked my butt! I am happy that I did go and run and that I can still get 3k under my belt. It’s better than 0!

It’s tough thinking I am running once a week. I envy each of you for running every day or multiple times a week – most of you have kids, a family, and I’m sure a much busier life than I. My town-house is still yet to be completed with the cleaning. There is just so much to do, it’s never ending. Not to mention work has been extremely busy and I’ve had to put in a couple work nights and will be working a little bit over the weekend as well. This coming week won’t get any better with how busy work will be but I am excited to be out for another run soon! Getting out and moving is really what matters at the moment.

Back to running. I finally picked up the inhaler… but FORGOT to use it before my run as the doctor recommended. I felt like there was something I was missing all morning when I was getting ready but thought, Shoes, Watch, Music, Gum, I’m good! Less than half a km away from home, I start working on regulating my breathing and realize I forgot to use the inhaler. Of course at this point I’ve already done my warm up walk and began running, I didn’t want to turn back. Maybe I’ll remember next run and I’ll be able to breathe better!!

I’m enjoying life and enjoying the company I have ❤
I am hoping to find more time to enjoy more of the things I love, run, golf, and read.

On a side note, for all you ladies out there, what do you work out in? I’ve been set on kapris (slim fit) but now that the summer is hot, I need shorts. I’ve tried many shorts. I have tried what you say are running shorts (built in undies and loose fiiting), and I have some longer tight shorts above the knee. Here’s my problem, I have meaty thighs (which is why I need to run more!). The tights are too tight around my thighs at the edge where the sewing is (they taper in too much for skinny people). The running shorts ride up my hoo-haa when I start running (my meaty thighs rub together and pull the shorts up in the middle), so I’m left pulling them down every two seconds. Is there nothing made for me??? I can’t go with tight shorts in a larger size because they start falling down my hips. I can’t go for running shorts in a larger size so that there’s length because they start falling down my hips. I know most runners have this ideal body type but I know a lot of you are just like me, beginner and trying to get in shape. How do you dress for these hot days and you’re being physical?

I may be an occasional runner right now, but don’t you worry, I have not broken up with running, never! ❤

I’m a little lost for words today… I haven’t even started my run plan yet…

July 7 Run: 30:16 min, 3.69 km, 8’11″/km I couldn’t run…

I couldn’t breathe.. My stomach/lungs were clenched.. RunRChatts wanted to get out there today so I went with him… Bad choice for me sleeping in because when he showed up ready, I rolled out of bed, changed, chugged down some water and ate a few energy chews and off I went. I dragged held him back for about 1.5 kms (a little lost in the new neighbourhood) and he went off and cycled back to me later on. From that point on, I did 2 minute run and 1 minute walk until I hit 30 minutes. Could it be the humidity today? It’s 26°C, feels like 35 with 73% humidity.

It seems that mentally I get super motivated and then somehow I get discouraged and end up doing nothing. Mostly, there’s no excuse, it’s just accepting that I’m lazy. WHY?

So, I’m disappointed with myself for dying for the summer to come so I wouldn’t have to run on the treadmill… Summer is here and I don’t want to leave my couch. What’s going on and why can’t I fight this heat?

I was definitely too optimistic when I wanted to sign up for every run possible this summer. I struggle getting myself out the door in this heat. Especially when there’s no sun and it’s this hot!

We were planning to run 5k and I couldn’t even get to 4. On the plus side, I did just get out there and move. Although the running was quite slower than any of my other runs I can ever remember, I did run.

What do you do to stay motivated in this heat???

I hope you’re having better luck than I with your relationship with running!!I know it’s not luck, it’s your dedication and willpower that keeps you going!!! Keep it up!! Thanks for reading, you’re and inspiration to me!!!!

Yes, I’m here and alive!!! I don’t even know where to start. I’ll start with the run. FINALLY, after over a month I picked up my lazy butt and went for a run. It wasn’t a far run but it was great and challenging nonetheless.

June 29 Run: 27:15 min, 3.5 km, 7’46″/km

I couldn’t end this month with not running once! I had big hopes to run a lot of KMs this month, beat my May total (I’ve increased my total runs/kms each month since January), and run on my birthday but that fell through 😦 … Well despite all the slacking I got out today and that’s all that matters. My GPS watch didn’t pick up a signal so the KMs is based on my footpod, I don’t think the distance is too far off. I had to walk at 2 km and 3 km just to give my breath a moment to catch itself. The new neighbourhood is quite peaceful and quiet. Not as many runners compared to where I was before but hopefully I start spotting more the more I get out there.

Regarding my breathing and allergies, I’ve seen a doctor and I’ve received an inhaler but I have not gone to pick it up yet. He said that allergies have been extremely high this year too so that could also affect me since I sneeze at basically everything! Hopefully, once I get this inhaler, I can regulate my breathing better and run MUCH MUCH MUCH faster.

My plan is to follow an 8 K Program. I’ll post this later on once I actually begin it. The plan is to run 8 km in 50 minutes. That is standard but apparently it’s going to be very difficult for me. That’s cutting almost 2 minutes per km!!! That’s huge!! But, I had the initial plan to run 5 km in 30 minutes so this plan will hopefully get me there! And you know what, If I don’t get to that average runner speed, who cares?! I’m out there running and doing something I love that’s good for me! 😀

I’ve finally hooked up my computer today and it doesn’t seem to want to cooperate. I’m now settled into my new home but there is still a lot of work to get done. There’s dirty dishes, dirty floors, dirty laundry, dirty bathrooms, etc. I’m sure you get the point. But with all of this in my life, it’s nothing new. YOU, fellow runner/athlete/blogger, find time to do what you love most! Why can’t I?! It’s time to stop being lazy and prioritize!!

I went a little AWOL on running in the last month but no more! I may have taken a break but don’t think I quit on you! Running world, I am back and I will keep at it! You know, you’re a runner when every morning heading into work, I would get extremely sad seeing all the runners. All I did was wish, why can’t I make time?! Why am I so lazy right now?! Excuses no more, running, I am here to stay!!

I would like to share with you that in the last month I have not been completely slacking. I’ve found a new love in Golf. I grew up always interested but never really tried it out. This sport actually requires a lot more physical fitness than you may think. I’ve chosen to spend some time at the driving range over running and well, I need to balance my schedule out a little better. This month, I played my first 18 holes and loved it. I love both golf and running and I will make time for both! Running will only improve my game! 🙂

SOOOOOO.. I’m a little frustrated as this computer doesn’t seem to want to be working. I keep typing and my computer keeps crashing. I’ve lost this a couple of times and a few paragraphs have not been restored. Hopefully I covered all the key things I wanted to… There’s so much more to share with you and so many blogs I need to get caught up on. I hope you’ve been doing better than I and kept up with your passions in life. Until my next run, enjoy your life!!

The first few kms were brutal! I couldn’t breathe right, my body was aching, my mind just wasn’t in it. After a while though, I got into it. I planned on only running 5km but ended up doing 7.5! Although my pace was much slower than my average, I ran!!

Thank you runrchatts for coming out and pushing me to run. It’s been difficult to get out and run since I feel guilty for going out running when I haven’t finished cleaning/packing. But, I have also felt pretty bummed out for NOT running. I miss running. I move this coming weekend! No, I’m not quite packed yet… I keep packing but it seems to be endless. I am excited to get in the new neighbourhood and explore new trails and routes!! I’m dying to be able to run more again!!

Until next run, I hope you all enjoy this fine Sunday/Monday for those of you on the other side of the world. 🙂

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I haven’t blogged since my 10k Race last Sunday because I haven’t been out for a run. I went for a run yesterday!

May 19 Run: 43:52, 6.16 km, 7’07″/km

This week I let go and ate everything I craved and wanted… Well almost everything, I didn’t cave and have poutine or any of the other really bad foods I love. Pizza, chips, candy, and much more was in the mix. BUT it’s ok, I run. 🙂

Now, I’ve been really caught up all week with deciding what the next race will be. I want to sign up for all of them in June before it gets too hot but I am busy packing and moving. I want to make time to train but I also don’t want to stress myself out too much. I’ll decide when the time comes closer to the races… I feel like I’m addicted to races already! I keep looking them up and I’ve even written down all the options for June on a calendar. I don’t want to be overcommitted either…

Here’s the craziest thing… Last year, completing 10k would have been out of this world for me to complete before the September plan, but I did it in May, 4 months earlier! I would have never thought 10k would be so fun. But here I am…. Craving to finish this years’s races so I can train for a half marathon. Did I just really say this?! I think so. I’ve been dabbling with the idea ever since finishing the 10k last week. I WANT to finish a half marathon! I may be slow, but I will finish! 🙂

So what’s really next? A lot of running, I will make time. Packing, moving, and settling in a new home. Run some more. Sign up for some fun runs. Start my fundraising for the Terry Fox Foundation. Decided on which 10k to run in September (Terry Fox fun run or Toronto Zoo Run-timed). Maybe begin training for a half marathon for 2014?

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Happy Mother’s Day to all you readers! You’re all very special and cherished. I had the privilege to take my mom out for a lovely lunch today after my 10K race. Although exhausted from being awake at 4:30 am, I made it rough, inhaled some awesome vermicelli, and spent some time with my momma. Great day!

Now that I’m home and a bit more rested, I can tell you all about the big race!

May 12 Sporting Life 10k Race: 1:11:11, 10.30 km, 6’54″/km

This day started extremely early with needing to wake up and shower (yes, shower before a race to wake me up), eat, digest, and get myself to the race. Thankfully I went to bed early and got a decent amount of rest. Weather was horrible, somewhere around 6°C but felt more like 2°C… I didn’t mind until about an hour into the wait and my toes were going numb. I met up with two fellow teammates before the run, wished them luck and lined up in our respective corrals. We missed the other three members; it’s tough finding three people in a sea of over 27,000! One of our runners is injured so he didn’t run today. I did get to see everyone from the team who ran at the end. I came last in my team but I am super stoked with my personal best! Huge shout outs to runrchatts on the team who also achieved his personal best today too! You’re awesome, thank you for all of your help training me!

The event was a bit confusing… I lined up just because I read online and have been to a race before but there wasn’t any real announcement I could hear, maybe I was too far back? We had no clue if the elites had started or not. Half an hour later we started moving towards the start. Off I went. I avoided the first water station… Originally to be at the 3k, it appeared at the 4k… It was a disaster! No water on the first five tables, just a mess.. The last two had a few poor kids trying to pour and hand water as fast as they can. I relied on my Nike fuel belt. At 6 and 8 k i had a couple gummies – Honey Stingers from one of my coworkers/running mates who had given me earlier in the week. Not sure if they helped but they didn’t slow me down. I did pick up water for a few sips at 7 k as I was running low on my belt. I ran on… On and on and on… Actually, it didn’t feel all that long! I was hoping to have had a pace bunny to follow but there were none… I ran all on my own today, no partner, just my watch and iPod to keep me focused and on track.

Crazy enough, this was an amazing run for me! I had this insane kick at the end for the last 400 meters where I ran up to 4’47″/km! I am disappointed as I could have started my kick much earlier! I had so much fuel left… Oh well. I’ll know better next time. Yes, I will definitely do another 10K! Besides, this one was all downhill, and it was an extra 300 m. I also ran without the ugly run face. Satisfied with my challenging yet comfortable pace I was running. I felt happy and confident.

I felt great this run! I was content and just floated on. I coast by the run… Maybe that’s a hint that I was not fast enough for myself, but I did keep checking my watch to make sure I wasn’t going too fast, to tire myself out, or too slow, to finish at my 1 hour 14 minute goal. I beat that goal and I finished the race without walking!

There was a LOT of self talk this run but a lot of good talks… Well.. Chants… Each time I got a little bit discouraged by losing the runner I was following pace with (or seeing that I was running at the same speeds walk/runners were), I had to keep telling myself, THIS IS MY RUN! and THIS IS MY RACE! And I did just that, I ran for me and raced myself. Everyone around was just an obstacle on the street and a distraction to look at, not a competitor.

Woohoo! More collectables for my shoe box!

I got my medal, water, bananas, and met up with the team. Took a few photos and tried to get myself warmed up ASAP! Of course I warmed up from the running but standing around down by Lake Ontario gets cold quick when wind gusts are huge and a storm is rolling in. Hail started hitting shortly in the day, luckily I had found my way to my mom’s already.

Most importantly, our team raised money for Camp Ooch. As a team we have raised $1163!!!! A little shy of sending a child to camp for an entire week, but we did hit over 5 days! I hope some kid(s) really enjoys their time! 🙂
Thank you to everyone who has helped support this cause, support me, and volunteer at the event!!!

I am super excited to start my next fundraising initiative and sign up for more races!!

Today marks 1 year since I went for my first run. It would have been awesome if my friend could have joined me who pushed me (we pushed each other) to run. As mentioned, she’s been injured so I ran the same route we did last year as a tribute (+1 km).

Can you believe it? I can’t! So, how far have I really come?

Last year I died trying to accomplish 3 km and this year… I still struggled! But that’s okay, this year, I ran the entire time without having to walk so that’s a great improvement!!! I do have to say, I went into this thinking I would run the lap we did around the block twice, but that was out of question after the first km, my legs were BURNING! So… No more running until the big 10k this Sunday!

I still weigh the same (or slightly heavier..) but at least I’m doing something that I’m passionate about and is healthy for me!!

In the past year, I’ve found a new me, a new love, a new outlook. Despite what others may not see as any changes, I am a happier person. I’d be happier if I could just shed a few pounds instead of gaining constantly but I’ll give it some more time. Besides, I still want to have my chicken wings and pizza! Mmmmm…. Wish I had some right now!

I’ve come so far, I’ve invested a lot of money into running gear that I would have never thought I’d need. Let me tell you, running isn’t as cheap as some people make it out to be. I’ve even gone so deep and started trying energy bars for pre and post runs to make sure I get the nutrients I need. I’ve spent money on a new pair of shoes, GPS watch, a Nike fuel band, a hydration belt, running clothes, the previously mentioned power bars, and so far down to hair elastics and pins. I’m sure I’ve spent much more on many other things but I’m not too worried, if it’s motivation to keep me going, I’ll take it!

Every run I run for me but every run I run for a cause and am always reminding myself to never stop and keep going for those who wished they could. I will always run to better my health but I will do what I can to help wherever I can.
I know I am not the fastest, nor am I progressing as fast as many other female runners I read about… Sometimes I am at awe by the stories I read and wonder, I was never that big so why does it seem so much harder for me? Maybe I need to push harder this summer and not fall off during fall/winter. I will set new goals and work harder!

Discovering the online blog community, falling for the running family, following inspirational blogs, and receiving your support has meant the world to me. You fuel my runs.

I feel I have lived this past year to the fullest, learned a lot from it, and grown to become better. I’m sure there are points I am missing that may be key to my past year, but all that matters is I continue to lace up and run! 🙂